


Love, Lies, and Paradise: a Reyes Vidal romance

by queenofkadara



Series: The Vidal Chronicles [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Dom Reyes, Dominant Reyes, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff and Smut, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Love, Oral Sex, Relationship(s), Romance, Sex, Smut, Suspense, Swearing, Violence, dom!reyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-10-28 22:19:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 67,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10840626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofkadara/pseuds/queenofkadara
Summary: When Mara Ryder, the human Pathfinder, meets Reyes Vidal, Kadara's most successful smuggler, their connection is more intense than either of them has ever felt before. Is this just a sexy flirtation, or might it become something more?This story is primarily focused on the romance, switching between Reyes' and Ryder's POVs, but includes tension and main story points as well. Plenty of fun convos with the crew and Keema abound. Smut lovers beware the later chapters... Dive in if you enjoy a slow build ;)





	1. An Uncanny Meeting

Hot sand, whiskey, stale beer and a hint of sulfur.

Ryder savoured the heady mix of scents as she stepped through the doors of Kralla’s Song. The smell couldn’t be called pleasant, exactly - but Mara Ryder loved it, just as she loved the smell of each new planet she set foot on. 

She had been practically paralyzed with fear of failure when she first woke up in the medbay to learn her father had made her the Pathfinder. She had also suffered a crushing guilt that Cora had been passed over for the title, and had had to resist apologizing to Cora every time she saw her, for fear of rubbing salt in Cora’s wound. But as time went on, and her team’s list of successes continued to expand - the outposts on Eos and Voeld, the successful rescue of the Moshae, and the burgeoning promise of a new relationship with the angara - Mara become more confident in her role as the Pathfinder. With her growing confidence, Mara’s underlying passion for discovery and adventure had emerged. 

As Mara made her way to the bar, she reflected on how lucky she was to have such a complementary team. It felt like her teammates either epitomized a part of her personality that she cherished, or represented some aspect of herself that she wanted to develop further. There was Peebee’s wild adventurousness; Suvi and Lexi’s twin passions for scientific discovery; Liam’s drive to find a harmonious home; and Vetra’s deep-seated caring nature and need to provide (if only Mara had more of Vetra’s street smarts!). Mara admired Jaal’s passionate, family-oriented nature, and Drack’s survival instincts coated in a gruff exterior sheltering a tender heart. She loved that she could banter jokingly with Gil even after a crushing loss, and that Kallo was always there with a nostalgic story or an interesting factoid to keep her grounded. And of course, SAM: always there to analyze every rock and leaf, to fail hilariously at making jokes, and to save Mara’s life.

 _Yep, I’m in good company here. Who’d think such a varied band of misfits would make such an awesome team?_

And yet, while lying in bed sometimes, gazing out into the stark beauty of the galaxy, Mara sometimes felt that despite having the best group of friends and teammates a woman could ask for, something was still missing. She had come to love her Pathfinder role, and she knew nothing would ever come in the way of her duties - but she sometimes felt… _Okay, let’s be honest, a little stifled sometimes._ Thanks to her team’s accruing victories, sometimes Mara felt that her Pathfinder status was starting to hide who she really was. As a natural introvert, there was a part of Mara that would always be uncomfortable in the spotlight. And since her Pathfinder duties frequently involved being the reasonable mediator, not to mention representing the Andromeda Initiative in the best possible light, Mara sometimes (only half-jokingly) rued the fact that she would probably never again be able to just enjoy seeing a jerk get as well-deserved beating. _Nope, now I have to try and settle the argument before anyone forms a fist! I’m sure Drack would say that sometimes a punch is the best way to settle an argument, but I’m sure Director Tann would not agree…_

Shaking her head a little, Mara tried to focus on her current mission: meeting an intelligence agent named Shena for leads on finding the Archon. Mara settled herself at the bar, arms crossed, her analytical mind subconsciously scanning the faces and body language of the other occupants, while continuing to look casual and inconspicuous. Or at least, as casual and inconspicuous as a clean and well-dressed human can look on Kadara. Mara wished ruefully that Drack or Vetra had advised her to wear her crappy lounging outfit rather than her leather jacket and scarf. 

_At least I have the right hair for this warm climate._ Mara had worn her dark hair in a close pixie cut for years - a practical choice for a soldier/field researcher, but also a definite aesthetic one, as the short cut complemented her slender neck and oval face, and her short, side-brushed bangs allowed her green almond-shaped eyes to shine. 

“You look like you’re waiting for someone”. 

Suddenly, a man stood in front of her. Mara’s face remained impassive due to long training, but she couldn’t deny that she was startled. She hadn’t consciously realized it, but she had been expecting an angaran contact. _This is Evfra we’re talking about, after all._

Then Mara’s eyes took in the man’s face - and it was as though an electric shock shot through her body. She felt a swooping sensation in her stomach, and her breath stalled in her chest for a moment. She could feel her cheeks getting hot. 

It wasn’t just his looks. With his hooded bronze eyes, strong chin and hazelnut complexion, and trim but muscular physique, he was certainly handsome - _come on, Mara, be honest in your own head - he’s fucking sexy._ But it was more than that. He had a knowing smirk on his lips, a playful glint in his eye, that screamed intelligence and cunning. _And what sucks me in more than an intelligent man?_

It wasn’t just the bright, crow-like intellect in his eye either. _What the fuck did I just feel?_ With some embarrassment and wonder, Mara realized that she’d felt a shock of immediate, sudden connection with this man. It was as though their eyes met, and they both suddenly just… knew something about each other. They both recognized something kindred in each other, even though they had never met. 

_Speaking of introductions…_

Mara gave herself a little mental shake and coolly accepted the drink that the handsome stranger proffered. He extended his hand to her, and even as they shook hands, his eyes never left hers, and that knowing smirk never left his lips. 

“Shena. But you can call me Reyes.” He quirked an eyebrow. “I hate code names”. 

_Jesus, that voice._ It was going to be her undoing. The voice was deep, lightly accented, and fluid like melted chocolate… and like the smirk, knowing. Cunning. His voice stirred a certain feeling of recklessness in her, a wish to throw this mysterious, unexpected stranger off a little bit, make him feel slightly wrong-footed, like she was.

Mara firmly shook his proffered hand. “I was expecting someone more… angaran.” Mara kept her chin raised in challenge, her expression neutral, but her heated gaze traced over Reyes’ face and chest more slowly than was strictly professional, lingering appreciatively over his lips and his taut stomach before returning to his eyes. _And is that a stirring in the “quads” region that I see?_

Reyes’ smirk widened to a true smile at her brazenness and he chuckled. She couldn’t help it: her own impassive lips finally broke into a smile as well. That uncanny feeling of connection doubled, and Mara could feel her heart thumping in her throat, and a warmth spreading from her stomach to the juncture of her thighs. _Easy, girl, we hardly know him…_

Before this dangerous nonverbal flirtation could go any farther, Ryder took a deep breath and consciously resumed her impassive, professional mask. 

Reyes leaned comfortably against the bar. “The Resistance pays me to supply information… among other things.” He quirked his eyebrow again, awaiting her reaction. 

Mara frankly wasn’t fazed by smugglers; after all, Vetra had technically been a smuggler (no comment on whether she still was - Nexus might be listening!), and that had no bearing on her true-as-gold character. But Mara decided to stick to the professional response, as her body’s crazy reaction to Reyes was unnerving her somewhat. “So you’re a smuggler.” 

Reyes shrugged and nodded towards the balcony; Mara joined him and they leaned against the railing, overlooking a magnificent sunset. In other circumstances, this would be pretty damn romantic, Mara thought. _Ugh, shut up, brain, we’re working!_

Reyes seemed to have picked up on Mara’s intention to stick to the professional, as all hints of playfulness and flirtation were gone from his manner. “Your man, Vehn Terev, was arrested by Sloane Kelly, leader of the Outcasts. Word spread about what he did to Moshae Sjefa. The people are calling for his execution… and Sloane, she’s a woman of the people.” This last phrase was conveyed with clear sarcasm, Mara noted with interest; clearly Reyes knew a thing or two about Sloane. That could come in handy down the line, if he knows more. Mara narrowed her eyes as she looked out over the landscape, savouring the sharp mountains and unusual coral-like shrubs. “Dress it up however you want, she’s a criminal.” 

Reyes followed her gaze. “You work for the Initiative. Sloane was part of the uprising on the Nexus. I doubt she’ll give Vehn up easily.” Mara turned to face Reyes, eyebrows raised. “I’m taking him, with or without her permission.” Attraction aside, Mara took her duties very seriously, and she need Reyes to understand that she would do whatever was necessary to cement an alliance - and friendship - with the angara. Mara was never one to shirk away from a little subterfuge if needed. 

Reyes looked over at her with mild surprise and respect, his eyebrows slightly raised. A slow smile spread across his full lips as he dipped his head towards hers slightly. Mara caught her breath - his face was close to hers, as though they were co-conspirators, his lips close enough that she could feel his whiskey-scented breath on her face as he spoke. “We’re gonna be friends, you and I.” 

Mara’s green eyes met his bronze-coloured ones. Again, there was that heat, that sense of familiarity, of connection… _Why am I feeling this weird affinity with this man? I don’t even know him! Does he feel it too?_ And overlaying it all, thick as butter on bread, was that insane sexual attraction that left Mara’s head - and other body parts - feeling buzzed. 

Reyes then broke the spell, moving slightly away and speaking again. “There might be another way to get to Vehn.” He pushed back from the railing, as though preparing to go. “You work Sloane. I’ll talk to the Resistance.” With no further ado, he turned and began to walk away. 

Mara turned, her eyes following his stride with unabashed appreciation: confident, relaxed, a slight swagger, his shoulders broad and his neck browned from the sun. “How do I contact you if things go south?” 

Reyes turned, not pausing in his stride, and with a small smirk, gave her a tiny wink before continuing on his way. 

Mara turned back to the view for another moment, a ridiculous smirk growing on her own face. _That guy is a Fuckboy with a capital F,_ she thought to herself with amusement. _Definitely not dating material. Can you imagine? Cora would have a fit!_ Wait a second, when did Mara’s brain suddenly start thinking about dating? This trip to Kadara was about work. Her ovaries would have to settle the hell down while there was still information to be gained. 

Despite the pressure of the current mission, Mara gave a contented sigh. She savoured the golden Kadara landscape, all rolling hills and cerulean sulfur pools wreathed in (admittedly toxic sulfurous) mist, and thought that perhaps this was the most beautiful planet she’d yet seen. And wondered… _After everything we’ve done so far, all the incredible places we’ve seen and interesting people I’ve met… How is it that now, this moment, is when I feel the most alive?_

As Mara turned to leave, a hard voice suddenly called, “Hey! You have to pay!” Mara looked over at Umi, the asari bartender, and realized… _That jackass stuck me with the cheque! Ugh, a fuckboy indeed._

Mara swiped her fingers quickly over her omni-tool, leaving a generous tip, and wondered why, rather than being justifiably annoyed, she just relished the idea of seeing him again and one-upping him. 

******

Reyes Vidal strolled casually through Kadara Port, nodding cordially at the vendors and greeting the Outcast guards pleasantly. All the while, all he wanted to do was laugh out loud with delight. _Fuck me, it’s been too long since something surprised me out here._

Reyes was a busy man; maintaining friendly “trade” relations with Outcasts, Collective, and non-affiliated exiles alike, as well as careful and reliable intelligence operations, was truly a challenging full-time occupation that required constantly maintaining a carefree and affable facade. But a facade this truly was: it had been a long time since Reyes felt like anyone knew who he really was. 

He was grateful to his angaran friend Keema, whose lush and flirty persona often caused people to underestimate her intelligence and cunning, and who was the one person on this planet that he could call a real friend. However, most of his public interactions with Keema necessitated that he adopt his friendly but neutral facade, and so even with Keema, half the time he felt like his real self was buried, hidden under layers of deception. 

The truth was, Reyes had a dark streak, made darker by witnessing Sloane Kelly’s casual abuse of the local angara and hapless exiles alike. Sometimes he felt like that ancient Earth superhero Batman, working in the shadows for the betterment of Kadara, while pretending to be nothing more than a simple smuggler. _Except that based on those paper “comic” artifacts that are worth so goddamn many credits, Batman never killed anyone…_

That was one qualm that Reyes definitely did not have. There was no doubt in his mind that sooner or later, someone in Kadara Port - someone important - was going to die. 

Reyes shifted his brooding mind to something infinitely more pleasant: this new Pathfinder - Mara Ryder, of the Tempest. 

Tempest, indeed… Reyes had to admit that he was frankly shocked upon meeting the sultry, confident - nearly cocky - Mara Ryder. He had been expecting a stick-in-the-mud, holier-than-thou, by-the-book Nexus soldier who hadn’t ever really seen true suffering and wouldn’t tolerate anything off the beaten path. After all, from his intelligence gathering, he knew that this Mara Ryder had not been awake during the uprising, had not witnessed the bloody brutality of those first few months after the exiles were kicked off-ship. _She didn’t see the krogan charging into those crowds of desperate civilians like they were nothing more than bowling pins. And she didn’t see the Nexus leadership callously hold out on the krogans after they saved their asses._ And yet, despite her relative lack of experience, there was something in her eyes…

Reyes would not have called himself a romantic. And yet, when Mara first turned her face to his, when their eyes first met, he had this uncanny sense that he knew her. He could have sworn that there was just an understanding between them. There was something about her confident, flirtatious gaze that felt so familiar to him. Almost like looking in a mirror, of sorts… _And holy shit, the sexual energy she’s giving off._ When she had dropped her jade-coloured gaze and perused his body, so casually, so confidently, it had been enough for him to get a hard-on on the spot. Reyes had no shame in this; he was a man who was confident in his sexuality, and it was frankly not unusual for him to get second - and third - looks when he frequented the bars. But the combination of Ryder’s confidence, her own apparent comfortable sexuality, and her shining intelligence and passion made Reyes want to take things slower than his usual jump-into-bed approach. _I think I actually want to get to know this Pathfinder Ryder. And not just in that archaic Biblical sense._ Of course, Reyes wanted to feel Mara’s smooth curves under his hands, to slide his fingers over her golden skin and make her gasp with pleasure, but unusually, he also wanted more than that. 

He wanted to figure out if his crazy sense of connection, of familiarity, was mutual. 

Reyes stepped into his “office”, i.e. the private room in Tartarus, and pulled up his omni-tool to call Evfra’s people. As he waited for the connection to go through, he smiled, feeling more cheer and anticipation than he had in months. _Maybe this job could actually be fun…_


	2. A growing partnership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyes and Mara Ryder further their business relationship - and each start questioning the personal relationship as well. What will their connection mean for each of them?

“Your Highness.”

Mara mock-curtsied to Sloane, emphasis on the _mock_ , not bothering to hide the derision from her face. She couldn’t believe how much Sloane had a chip on her shoulder, or how self-aggrandizing she was. _I can’t believe a person like that ever got through Alliance training. It’s like all her core principles went out the window._. Protection fees, public beatings, being sent out into the badlands to be tortured and killed: everything Mara had heard about Sloane so far pointed towards a corrupt, power-hungry monster who looked out for nobody but herself and her personal friends. 

Mara turned on her heel and left Sloane’s quarter, studiously ignoring the glowering krogan bodyguards. “Perhaps Mr. Vidal has had more luck,” SAM suggested. “I sure hope so, SAM,” Mara replied. “Because we’re shit out of luck with that woman.” 

Mara opened the Outcasts HQ door - and stopped short upon seeing Reyes waiting at the corner of the nearest merchant’s booth. He was a study of nonchalant, casual ease, looking both idle and alert at the same time. He nodded affably to a passing local angara, then turned and saw Mara approaching. Their eyes met, and his neutrally friendly expression was immediately replaced by a sexy grin. His warm bronze eyes sparkled with amusement, and Mara realized that her face must still carry some hint of the disgust she still felt from her encounter with Sloane. However, despite the lingering bad taste in her mouth, Mara realized that the second she had opened the door to see Reyes standing there, something in her body had relaxed. She was almost cheerful again by the time she reached his side. 

As Mara drew near, Reyes leaned against the merchant counter with practiced casualness. “Have a nice chat?” His eyebrows quirked with amusement. 

Mara couldn’t help but smile back. “I think she likes me.” 

Reyes threw his head back and laughed - a rich, rolling, chocolatey sound. _Goddess help me, if he keeps laughing like that, I’m going to press myself against his body right now and run my tongue along his neck._ “Don’t worry,” Reyes said, still grinning, “I found a workaround.” 

“Let me guess,” Mara said, shaking her head slightly to dislodge the sexual thought. “It comes with strings attached.”

“Not any new ones,” Reyes protested. He then segued smoothly into business mode, which helped Mara regain control of her raging libido. “Remember, Evfra wants Vehn alive, so when you get inside, give him this.” Reyes stepped close to her, holding a small tube in his hand. 

Mara’s first impulse was to step back slightly - after all, she and Reyes were still practically strangers, crazy chemistry or not. But she stood her ground, knowing he was handing her a solvent that was likely illegal, not to mention dangerous. Reyes stepped close, his arm brushing hers, and gently placed the tube in her hand, closing her fingers gently over the tube. For the second time in the space of an evening, he was standing close enough to her for his whiskey-scented breath to fan her face. Mara then realized that he was still holding her hand, the tube of solvent securely in place. Her eyes flew up to his. His bronze gaze looked down upon her, emanating an undeniable heat… and an undeniable challenge. _Challenging what, though? Am I reading something into this that isn’t there? Why does our every gaze seem drenched in meaning?_

Reyes seemed satisfied with whatever he saw in her face, because he smiled slightly and stepped back, his voice businesslike. “That will eat through whatever Sloane’s holding him in, and can’t be traced back to us. A Resistance agent will be waiting to pick Vehn up.” 

Mara looked down at the solvent in her hand, half her mind still lingering on the feel of her fingers in his strong hand. _Come on, Mara, focus. Think about something less complicated than the look in Reyes’ eyes._ She looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. “Vehn’s intel better be worth it.” 

Reyes snorted. “You’ll be the judge of that, not me. There’s a maintenance shaft around the corner,” he added, tapping his omni-tool. “Sending you the access code; that should get you inside. You should be able to handle the rest.” 

Mara nodded briskly, her mind and SAM’s already sorting through the risks and contingency plans in case something went wrong. She checked her omni-tool, confirming the code Reyes had sent. Then she looked up at him again, to find him watching her closely, with something that seemed like expectation. She quirked an eyebrow at him in an unconscious mirroring of Reye’s own now-familiar gesture, remembering that they had some unfinished business from earlier that evening. “There’s still the matter of the bill you left me with,” she said, tilting her head to the side. 

Reyes blinked guilelessly, his face a picture of innocence. “I’m usually the model gentleman.” 

“I don’t believe you,” Mara replied bluntly. She deliberately let her eyes slide from his eyes to his lips, focusing on their fullness for a moment before licking her own bottom lip and returning her gaze to his. She was gratified to notice the slight parting of his lips and rise of his chest that indicated a sharp intake of air - obvious signs of being turned on. _Good, that makes two of us._

“That’s because I’m lying,” Reyes replied, his voice slightly husky with lust. “When you’re done, come to Tartarus. First round’s on me.” He leaned forward again, lowering his voice intimately. “I promise”. And with that, he was gone. 

Mara took a deep breath, reining in her wanton thoughts and turning them to the task at hand with some difficulty. _Spirits, at this rate, if we keep eyefucking each other like this, we’re never going to get any work done._ It was becoming increasingly obvious to Mara that something was going to happen between Reyes and herself, if she let it. But should she? _I’ve always been a reasonable woman when it comes to the men I get involved with. Reyes is the opposite of reasonable: he’s a smuggler, a fuckboy, as cocky as they come. So why the hell do I trust him?_ Because that was the truth: from the moment she had laid eyes on him, from the moment she’d had that first feeling of connection and kinship, she had felt that she could trust him with her life. 

_I’d better not make that a self-fulfilling prophecy. Really, I shouldn’t trust anyone but the crew._ “Ready, SAM?” Mara finally said, as she rounded the corner towards the maintenance shaft. “Let’s get this show on the road.” 

*******

Reyes walked towards Tartarus, hyper-aware of the hardness of his cock in his pants as he moved through the crowds towards the lift to the slums. His face was as impassive as ever, but his mind was a maelstrom of lust… and confusion. He was genuinely perplexed as to why he was having such a strong reaction to this Pathfinder. He had known many beautiful, strong, confident women before; hell, his most recent lover, Zia Cordier, had been all of those things. _But Zia doesn’t hold a candle to Ryder. That’s like comparing a burlap sack to a silk purse._ Mara had some intangible… trait, or energy, or something… that called to Reyes and made him want to find some excuse, any excuse, to be at her side. 

_Lucky for me, securing her cooperation is a key component to my plans._ Indeed, he had been preparing for weeks for the day that the Pathfinder to show up, knowing that he would be able to use his charm and intel to gain the Pathfinder’s influence, ammo, and resources. Like many of his business contacts, the Pathfinder had always been conceptualized in his mind as a tool, an instrument to press forward his goals of taking over Kadara. _I just never thought the Pathfinder would be someone I would genuinely like._ Reyes was startled by his own thought: did he like the Pathfinder? _Man, you hardly know her._

But he couldn’t reason with that electric connection between them. He had waited for Mara at the merchant’s stall, knowing her conversation with Sloane would be brief (Sloane had no logic or forward-thinking ability whatsoever - she was complete lost cause), and half-hoping that the kindred feeling between them had been an illusion. But no, it was just as strong and electric as the moment they had first laid eyes on each other. 

_Well,_ Reyes thought, _This can't change anything. I have to continue towards the end goal. My team is ready and the time is almost ripe; all I need is the Pathfinder. And I'll secure her cooperation... whatever the cost._ Reyes just wished the thought of manipulating her didn’t make his stomach feel so sick.


	3. Warm Bodies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara's new crush gets discussed by the crew, and Ryder and Reyes Vidal discuss their next case together: a set of murders. Meanwhile, the sexual tension is ramping up...

Mara stepped into the meeting room to find the rest of the squad already waiting. The room was rife with tension and excitement as the crew shared information from across the galaxy, much of it urgent: stirrings on H-047c, dissent within the krogan colony on Elaaden, insight on William Spender’s shady dealings, and as ever, the threat of the Archon overarching everything like a midsummer’s thundercloud, ready to burst chaos upon them all. Mara efficiently listened to each concern and had Kallo add the navpoints to the map, and handed Vehn Terev’s comm unit over to Gil for decryption. But even as her sharp mind sorted through their myriad options, her body still buzzed when her mind drifted - repeatedly - to Reyes Vidal. 

Mara was researching some new remnant armour with Peebee at the central hub with Peebee at the central hub when Vetra and Cora approached, Vetra looking apologetic, Cora anxious. “Ryder, sorry about this-” Vetra began, but was interrupted by Cora. “Ryder, do you actually like this Reyes Vidal person?”

Lexi and Jaal, who were working nearby, whipped their heads around in interest upon hearing this. Peebee looked up, her eyes bright with interest. “Ooh, intrigue! Does Ryder have a crush?” 

Mara flushed at this sudden unwanted attention, but replied confidently. “He’s definitely intriguing, Cora, you have to admit. He knows his way around Kadara like no one else we’ve met. And at least he’s trying to help us! Sloane completely dismissed me the second I walked through the door of her ridiculous throne room.” 

Cora’s eyebrows were contracted with distress. “Ryder, you’re dodging the question! You like him, don’t you? We can’t trust him. He’s a criminal - a smuggler and who knows what else!” 

“Ryder,” Lexi interrupted suddenly, “Let me know if you’re planning to get intimate with anyone outside the ship. Initiative staff have been vaccinated for all the common sexually transmitted infections, but we don’t know anything about angaran infections, and some of the Milky Way species’ viruses can lay dormant-” 

“Lexi!” Ryder squawked. “I don’t need the chat about the birds and the bees! Thanks though,” she added hastily, as Lexi looked hurt. “I’ll let you know if, um, I need any supplies or, um. Yeah.” Mollified, Lexi drifted off to the medbay, but to Ryder’s dismay, Jaal, Peebee, Vetra and Cora remained. 

“This could be good for you, Ryder!” Peebee chirped brightly. “Fooling around is great way to let off steam. Let loose, Pathfinder! You’ve earned it!”

“You haven’t even met this person, Peebee! He’s totally inappropriate,” Cora insisted. “Cora,” Vetra said quietly. Cora took a deep breath and seemed to deflate slightly. “I take it back, Ryder,” Peebee said acidly, glaring at Cora. “Lieutenant Harper here is the one who needs to cut loose.” Cora and Peebee glared at each other until Vetra loudly cleared her throat. “Ryder, just be careful,” she said in her calm, serious tone. “We’ve got your back. Right, Cora?” Cora finally met Ryder’s eyes, an apology buried there for her outburst. “Yes. Yes, of course. We’re with you, Pathfinder. Just let us know when you’re ready to set out.” Ryder and Cora smiled at each other and shared an angaran handshake. Peebee rolled her eyes. “Seriously though Ryder,” she added as she turned to go back to her escape pod, “Do whatever you want. You’ve got my support!” 

As Mara watched her three squadmates and best friends return to their quarters, she couldn’t help but think that wild, impulsive Peebee’s support on matters of the heart might not be the best commendation. 

Mara turned to go prep her armour, but realized that Jaal was still present. “Jaal! What’s up?”

“Ryder,” he said earnestly, “what is meant by ‘the birds and the bees’?”

*********

Mara stepped off the lift, Vetra and Cora by her side. She had finally decided to consult the team on their next move, since they had so many options and she wanted to treat each one fairly. _And in all honesty, I’m not sure I’m a totally objective judge of what’s the most important goal at this point…_ Indeed, Mara was pretty sure her intense attraction to Reyes would constitute a conflict of interest when it came to deciding their next steps, so she had been surprised - and excited - when the crew had agreed that focusing on Kadara’s viability should be their primary focus. _Now that I think of it, though, I wonder if maybe Vetra and Cora just want to babysit me on this planet!_ That was fine, though; she trusted nobody more than these two women, and if they wanted to keep an eye on things, Mara was fine with that. 

They stepped into Tartarus, a dark and dingy - yet somehow glamorous - two-storey bar. Vetra and Cora fanned out, assessing potential threats, as Ryder explored the main floor. She chatted with Kian, the owner, and obtained some information about a surveyor in Draullir. Then the squad headed up to the second floor. 

As promised, there Reyes was, comfortably ensconced in Tartarus’ one private room. As the door slid open and an asari waitress left the room, she could hear that chocolatey voice drift out: “... tell her call later - I’m drinking. And leave the bottle.” 

As Mara stepped into the room, Reyes looked up and smiled. He was sprawled casually on a sofa, arms draped over the back of the sofa, one foot cocked up on the seat, the other leg dangling lazily on the floor. He was a picture of male confidence and beauty, and Mara’s hormones roared to life admiring the outline of his cock in his blatantly displayed groin. “Ryder! Glad you’re here. I’m sure you’ve heard about the murders?” he said, rising gracefully to his feet and nodding respectfully to Vetra and Cora. “There’s a fresh body outside Kralla’s,” Mara replied, ignoring the arousal roaring through her body. “Some of the locals say it’s the Charlatan’s handiwork.” 

“I don’t buy it,” Reyes responded. “The Charlatan is discreet - careful. Whoever did this wanted the bodies found.” 

“Making a statement…” Mara mused. “But to whom?” Reyes countered. Mara looked up at him; his eyebrow was quirked again. She realized then that he probably knew who had done it, but wanted her help to confirm. _Man, is there anything this guy doesn’t know?_ If nothing else, their connection was definitely going to prove fruitful from an intelligence perspective. _And admiring his fine ass while working is no hardship for me…_

Indeed, as Mara and Reyes continued to talk through the case, Reyes shared his well-rounded theory that the Roekaar were behind the murders, and asked Mara and SAM to scan a murder scene for clues. “People are scared, Ryder. This is your opportunity to win friends in Kadara Port,” he added.

Mara nodded thoughtfully. _He’s right,_ she thought, _If we want to settle down on this planet legitimately, we need to start bringing the exiles and locals alike around to thinking the Initiative is worth something._ Although Mara agreed completely with Reyes’ reasonable suggestion, she felt like stringing him out a bit. _After all, he did stick me with the cheque!_ “I sound pretty integral to this plan,” she said lazily, shifting her weight back on her hip and cocking her head playfully at Reyes. He smiled slowly at her, his hooded bronze eyes dark with amusement. “SAM is integral. You’re a bonus.” Mara raised her eyebrows in mock skepticism. “Hey, I haven’t agreed to help you yet.” 

Reyes then used one of her own moves against her and slowly slid his gaze to her full lips. “I feel good about my chances,” he said, his voice deep, sexy, and persuasive. He then segued back into professional mode. “One of the crime scenes isn’t far. Give me a call when you get there,” he said, settling back onto the couch and cocking his leg back up in a purely male display of cockiness. “By the way, I got word from one of my colleagues. Vehn Terev made it off Kadara. He’s a free man, thanks to you.” Mara shrugged casually. “You helped… a little.” Reyes smiled up at her, looking mildly surprised. _I guess smugglers don’t often get recognized for much of anything,_ she thought. “Always nice to be recognized,” he replied. Mara then remembered a question she had meant to ask him earlier. “By the way, your code name - Shena. What’s it mean?” 

Reyes looked mildly sheepish. “It’s the angaran word for… mouth.” He cleared his throat and delivered his next line with more confidence. “I’m good with words.” 

_Oh man, this is too good an opportunity to pass up,_ Mara thought with amusement, admiring his gorgeous face and the sharp line of his hair, slicked back professionally. “Among other things?” she retorted, slowly shifting her weight to her other hip and smirking at him.

He looked directly up at her, his eyes still playful but suddenly intense. “Never had a complaint.”

Goosebumps ran over Mara’s arms and neck at his tone of voice; deep, dark, and sexual. Two voices warred in her head: one that sounded a bit like Peebee’s, yelling _I bet he can make good on that promise!_ and another that sounded like Cora’s, admonishing her to get the hell away from this fuckboy if she knew what was good for her. _After all, he probably uses these smooth-as-silk lines on all the girls..._ But that thrumming connection, that sexual heat between them, was back in full force. She couldn’t look away from Reyes’ face, and he didn’t break the stare either, both of them gazing at each other as the sexual tension between them rose to a fever pitch. Mara had genuinely never felt this kind of connection or sexual need in her life. Disconcerted and extremely horny, Mara finally broke the moment, dropping her gaze. “I better get going,” she said, turning to leave the room, her voice sounding embarrassingly breathy. 

“Ryder,” Reyes interjected as she turned to go. She looked over her shoulder, feeling too vulnerable after their intense gaze to approach him again. “Yeah?”

He looked at her, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his face serious now. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but… you’re not really liked here. In Kadara Port.”

Despite the message of his words, Mara was relieved to be back in safe territory. “Ouch,” she said playfully. Reyes smiled gently, his face losing some of its seriousness. “What I’m saying is, you need a friend. Someone on the inside to help you out.” He leaned back casually. “I can be that guy. You need intel on exiles, Sloane, whatever? Come to me.” 

Mara finally turned back to face him. _He’s asking me to trust him. Should I? Can I?_ He had certainly been the most helpful person on Kadara so far, and his help had already proven to be genuine, in the case of Vehn Terev. Her instincts were to believe him, but she shouldn’t help but hear Cora’s angry voice and Vetra’s cautionary one in her mind. As Peebee would say, she would need to noodle on this a bit. She studied his face pensively; his expression was serious, but open and friendly. “Thanks… I think,” she finally replied. She threw him a final smile and a little salute and left the bar. 

*****

Reyes watched her walk away, her two formidable squadmates in tow. He couldn’t get over how such a tiny woman - under 5’4” and looking like she barely scratched 120 pounds - could carry such an intense set of armour and weapons and not only not break a sweat, but actually look fucking graceful. Reyes had never had to wear heavy armour, really; as a pilot, he had worn lightweight armour or life support suits, and now as a smuggler/intelligence agent he just wore whatever he felt like as long as it didn’t draw undue attention. But Mara in that armour… it was both a huge turn-on, and a bolstering of his respect for her. _I don’t think it’s ever really hit me that she’s really The Pathfinder until I saw her in that kit. It’s so easy to see her as just Mara when she’s wearing civvy clothes._ Reyes then frowned slightly at himself as he poured himself a shot of whiskey. What made him think that he even knew her as “just Mara”? They had literally only just met. 

_That weird electricity between us - that’s what’s doing it. Makes me think I know her…_ He didn’t lightly make offers of confidence to his business contacts, but within a day of meeting this woman, he had offered to be her point man - her friend. _But I don’t make friends. I actively try to avoid them. They muddy the waters…_ He couldn’t imagine what Keema would have to say when he told her about this. He would have to prepare himself to have the mickey taken out of him.

Reyes shook his head, slightly frustrated at himself. _Either way, I have to get on her good side. Remember, you idiot, she is instrumental to our plans here on Kadara. And neither she or I can have what we want on this planet without each other._

Rationalization achieved, Reyes finally relaxed a bit and was able to go over their interaction with more enjoyment. Mara was a consummate professional and - honestly - a badass of a Pathfinder, but her quick, flirtatious wit continued to surprise and delight him, and those moments when she openly showed her sexuality… _Fuck me, I want this woman. No doubt about it._ Maybe when things were settled down on the planet, he could show her first hand what “other things” he was good with aside from words…

Chuckling to himself, he finally turned back to work. After all, Reyes’ work on Kadara was never done: goods to smuggle, Outcasts to interrogate, and interplanetary intelligence to gather.


	4. A Good Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara Ryder investigates the murders in Kadara Port, with Reyes' usual style of last-minute help. Cora and Vetra express their concerns over Ryder and Reyes' obviously growing connection.

The scene at the krogan’s residence was like something out of a nightmare. Mara had never laid eyes on such a grisly murder scene - and hell, this was literally the first murder case she had ever investigated. _This shit was definitely not part of basic military training - or Pathfinder training, for that matter!_ Mara, Cora, and Vetra had all literally recoiled upon seeing the body - a full-grown krogan male with his headplate pried off. Mara’s stomach had roiled with nausea while they scanned the body. The brutality of the murder had set a slow rage to boil in her belly, and more determination than ever to catch the culprits. 

She called Reyes to share the news. “Good work, Ryder - come meet me at the Roekaar base and we’ll deal with it.” 

Mara frowned in surprise. “You know where the Roekaar base is?”

“What do you think I’ve been doing this whole time, sitting on my ass? Come on, I’ll meet you there.” 

Mara rolled her eyes at the laughter in his tone. How he could laugh at a time like this… _I guess that’s what you do if you live in the Kadara badlands - roll over and die, or laugh it all off…_ A wave of empathy rolled over her as she thought of all these exiles, both the criminals and the unfortunate passersby, forced into a brutal existence by a set of terrible circumstances compounded by inept direction from the Nexus’ management. _Well, we’re here now. The team and I will do everything we can to fix all of this._

The Nomad rolled up to the navpoint specified by Reyes, an angaran-built shelter set into a cave that would serve excellently as an operations base. “Perhaps Mr. Vidal is inside,” SAM suggested as the three women hopped out of the Nomad. “Let’s head on in - we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves by lingering outside,” Mara said. They stepped through the outer hatch, and to Mara’s disappointment, Reyes wasn’t there. 

“So,” Vetra said, her tone slightly playful, “Frank talk. Is there something going on? You and Reyes?” “Vetra!” exclaimed Cora, “you were telling me to back off-”

Mara threw them an annoyed look over her shoulder. “That’s not-” 

She had been about to tell her friends that this (frankly frivolous!) topic was not really a priority right now, when suddenly the inner hatch door burst open and three heavily-armed angara stormed through, weapons at the ready and pointed directly at the squad.

Mara grimaced, then tried a pained smile, her hands in the air. “Were we too loud?”

The angarans led them through to the inner cave. There, they were confronted by Farah, the local leader of the Roekaar - a formidable-looking female angara who practically radiated rage. _Oh shit, this is not good,_ thought Mara. 

“I don’t need to tell you what happens next,” Farah spat, her voice taut with anger. _Oh well, gotta try to diffuse this - it’s what Pathfinders do…_ “Settle down… we only came to talk,” she said, her voice soothing and calm. 

“We don’t talk with outsiders,” Farah replied haughtily. “You’ll bleed just like the others.” She unsheathed an angaran dagger, identical to the one they had found at the murdered krogran’s residence. 

“So it’s true - you murdered innocent people?” Mara asked, her voice still gentle. “Invaders and sympathizers are not innocent! I will protect my home!” cried Farah, approaching Mara with dagger in hand. _Easy, easy…_ thought Mara, _gotta buy some time here…_ Despite the danger, Mara hesitantly reached out a hand towards Farah. “Don’t let your hate poison you… We can coexist,” she said quietly. Unfortunately, her calm tone seemed only to enrage Farah further. “Like here on Kadara?” she exclaimed. “Sloane lies to my people and uses them for power!” 

“I’m not Sloane,” Mara stated firmly. _Jesus Christ, someone shoot me if I ever turn into anything like Sloane._

“You are all the same,” Farah insisted, raising the dagger in her hand. With a disappointed pang, Mara realized there was no getting through to this woman. Their only recourse was self-defense. She was just about to reach for her Sidewinder when suddenly- 

CLANG! The dagger was shot out of Farah’s hand and she cried out in pain. Loud running footsteps clattered down the stairs - and finally, Reyes was there, a kett assault rifle in hand. 

“Not so fast,” he said, skidding to a halt beside Mara, his attention fully focused on Farah. 

Despite the near-death situation and her mounting anxiety about the impending showdown, Mara’s shoulders and neck suddenly relaxed and a flood of relief washed over her. She folded her arms and called out, “You’re late!” She hadn’t realized it, but she had started getting worried that something had happened to him. _As if! He’s a sneaky bastard, he wouldn’t let anyone get their hands on him. And, as we should know by now, he’s always late!_

Reyes snuck her one of his trademark knowing grins. “I’ve got a good reason. You’ll see in three…”

Farah turned to her sycophants, enraged. “Don’t just stand there!”

Reyes turned back to look at Farah, a dangerous glint in his eye. “Two…”

“Kill them!” Farah screamed, pointing at Mara and her crew - and then the room exploded with light and heat as a bomb blew in the midst of Farah’s people. 

Reyes smirked over at Mara again. “Still mad?”

She didn’t waste her breath on a reply, but couldn’t help but smirk a little as she rolled forward and grabbed one of the angara’s kett rifles off the floor. _I should have known he’d have an ace up his sleeve. Oh Reyes, you’re going to keep me on my toes…_

*******

The fight was bloody but brief, and Reyes’ respect and admiration of Mara increased tenfold as he watched her in action. She plowed into the battle head-on, an expert in close-quarters combat, skilfully transitioning from asari sword to shotgun without missing a beat. Reyes had always admired close-combat fighters, as he was more of a sniper/long-range combat kind of man. _Just like with your feelings, you idiot? Always keeping a distance?_

The Roekaar cell was eliminated in a space of minutes. Reyes watched Mara quietly as she expertly combed through the bodies, ensuring they were all dead (and putting them out of their misery if they weren’t), and ruthlessly combing them for any useful resources. _A woman after my own heart… waste not, want not, Pathfinder._ He approached her as she perused a datapad which provided incontrovertible proof that Farah and her crew had been behind the murders. She turned to him. “You were right. These logs prove they came here for recruits, then started killing the locals.” 

Reyes moved forward to take the datapad; he would keep a copy of its records for himself and then sell the datapad as salvage. He stepped close to her, unable to resist being near her. Perverse though it may be, seeing her in action had given him a raging hard-on. There was nothing that turned him on more than an intelligent, capable woman who could shoot a man in the face and not blink an eye. He looked down at her, her face sweaty but radiant with beauty. He inhaled her scent - sweat, hot metal, and something surprisingly sweet and citrusy underneath it all. He was gratified to see her pupils dilate with arousal as he stepped close. “And now they’re dead. Don’t you love a happy ending?” he said lazily. He ignored the snort of disgust from Cora. 

Mara wrinkled her nose at him, but didn’t move away immediately. She handed him the datapad, her eyes still on his. He slowly took the datapad without a word. _Damn, that connection though... She has to feel it too._ His whole body felt like it was buzzing, his cock throbbing with need, as she stared up at him, her bright green eyes intense and focused, searching his face, her full lips parted slightly. 

“Reyes,” Vetra piped up suddenly, breaking the spell between him and Mara, “How did you get a bomb inside a Roekaar hideout?” He reluctantly turned from Mara to answer Vetra. “I paid off a Roekaar agent.” He shrugged lightly. Mara raised her eyebrows in surprise. “But they hate aliens,” she said. “How much did you have to pay?” 

“There’s no way he just paid a Roekaar agent. They would sooner die than accept a deal with an alien,” Cora interjected, her voice thick with skepticism. She stared at Reyes, unable to hide the mistrust in her eyes. “I bet he did something more backhanded.” 

Reyes didn’t rise to the bait; in fact, Cora was right, and the deception within the Roekaar had been much deeper. He’d actually had a Collective agent infiltrate the Roekaar base; the agent had been collecting information for just over a week, but as a new recruit, his agent had not been privy to the more confidential information about Farah’s murders. That was why he had needed Mara to step in. _Sorry Cora; you’re right, but this isn’t the time or place for that._

He inclined his head to Cora respectfully and shrugged enigmatically, neither confirming nor denying her accusation. Cora huffed scornfully and turned away, dismissing him. Vetra nodded to him, her expression neutral but not unfriendly. “Good work,” she said, before following Cora. Mara said nothing, her eyes still on his face, her expression speculative. Wordlessly, he gestured towards the exit, inviting her to proceed; she gave a small, distracted smile and headed up the steps. 

As they ascended the stairs, the bright afternoon sunlight filtering through the crack in the outer hatch door, Reyes spoke again. “The streets of Kadara are safe again. You did good, Ryder.” She stopped at the top of the landing and looked at him, her eyes still somewhat distracted. “Don’t worry,” he said, his voice persuasive. “I’ll let all the important people know who to thank.”

Then, unexpectedly, she smiled at him, her eyes still a bit pensive, but her smile saucy. “We make a good team,” she said, her voice serious despite her flirty smile. 

A small lump of emotion lodged itself in his throat at her words. This was the second time she had acknowledged him (whether mockingly or not) for helping with a “good deed”. He genuinely wasn’t used to anyone recognizing him for anything, or anyone thinking of him as being anything like a “good guy”. Over the past 14 months, he had become so used to being just a sneaky smuggler, a double-crossing information broker, reliable but not trustworthy, that he wasn’t sure if he even saw himself as anything else. But Mara… she saw something more in him. She seemed, maybe, to be starting to trust him. And that thought caused the lump in his throat to swell further with guilt. _The one person who sees good in me, and I’m deceiving her the most…_

Reyes swallowed, controlling his facial expression, and stepped up the last step, placing himself close to her again, so close that her breasts brushed his chest and their faces were inches apart. “Careful,” he said gruffly, “I’ll start thinking you like me.”

She looked up at him, her jade eyes brilliant and full of life, her face guileless. “Would that be so bad?” she asked, her voice husky, flirtatious, and sexy as hell. 

Reyes cock surged with lust even as his chest ached at her honesty. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and tell her everything… _And that would be insane. It’s not the right time. Step away before you do any damage!_ his brain screamed. “Depends,” he finally said, slowly stepping away from her. “Don’t be a stranger, Pathfinder,” he added as he walked away, not trusting himself to look back at her again. _If I look back, I’m done. She’s got me even if she doesn’t know it…_

******

Mara turned to face her squad, purposely forcing herself not to watch Reyes walk away. Unfortunately, this move had the effect of forcing her instead to face Cora and Vetra, who were both staring at her, eyebrows raised. Their expressions were so identical and so transparent, and the situation had been so high-adrenaline, that she suddenly couldn’t help it - she burst out laughing, unable to control herself, laughing until her diaphragm hurt. She could hear Vetra and Cora joining in, and the three of them laughed until they were breathless. 

“Okay,” she finally gasped, wiping tears of laughter from her face and stepping towards the door. “Okay you guys, fine, maybe I have a tiny crush on him. But-” She had to stop as this understatement set Cora and Vetra into waves of hilarity again. “But come on,” she yelled over their laughter, “He’s hot! You can’t blame me! But he’s also dead useful,” she added more seriously as the other two slowly regained their senses. “You guys have to admit, we wouldn’t have gotten anything done on this planet so far if not for him. He clearly knows all the big movers and shakers here. Would it really be so bad to keep working with him? Even,” she added, as the other two smirked at each other, “if it means I’m gonna keep flirting with him?” 

Vetra smiled in a sisterly manner at Mara and put a supportive hand on her shoulder. “You have to do what you think will find us a home here, Ryder. It’s your duty to find our home, whatever it takes. And if Reyes can help us do that, then I’m in to keep working with him.” Vetra looked askance at Cora. 

Cora gazed at Mara, her face still worried, but resigned as well. She sighed and also patted Mara’s shoulder. “Vetra’s right,” she conceded. “He has been helpful, in his own way. I just… don't want you go get hurt. Physically or emotionally.” She rolled her eyes teasingly. “But really, the two of you, staring at each other… just get a room already!” 

Vetra laughed, then mocked Mara’s voice: “Would that be so bad?”

All three friends burst into unrestrained laughter again. Slinging her arms affectionately around Cora’s and Vetra’s waists, Mara led her friends back out into the buttery yellow sunshine of Kadara and on to the next adventure.


	5. Un-ex-pected information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyes asks for Mara Ryder's help to recover some stolen cargo, and Mara unwittingly learns some information about Reyes mysterious past... and starts to wonder whether she really means anything to him.

Mara removed her helmet in her quarters on the Tempest and ruffled her pixie-cut hair, the tufts of her short bangs falling over her forehead in sweaty peaks. She absolutely loved exploring Kadara; there was so much to do, and the planet was beautiful but deadly - _like the people settling here,_ she thought to herself. _There’s beauty in their strength and determination, despite their often murderous ways. Well, the planet is less deadly since restoring the vault; maybe the people could be less deadly too, with time and support?_

On that note, Mara had found an ideal outpost site, but she knew that setting up right away would just provoke war with the ever-prickly Sloane Kelly. As Mara removed her armour and ruminated on the planet, SAM spoke up. “Ryder, I suggest speaking to Reyes. He may be able to advise on setting up an outpost.” 

The mere mention of Reyes’ name caused Ryder’s heart to jump into her throat and caused a wave of heat to flush over her body. _Oh god, I’m like a teenager with her first crush. This is ridiculous._ It suddenly occurred that maybe SAM could be the most insightful and objective person she could ask about Reyes - especially since Cora, Vetra, and Peebee’s opinions were so strongly coloured by their personal experiences. Mara knew that Drack was not a fan of AI, and that the other crew varied in their opinions of SAM. But Mara loved SAM; he was an integral part of her nervous system now, sure, but she also felt he was an integral component of her personality. _He’s like a totally objective and smarter version of me - what’s not to love?_ Ryder stripped off the rest of her under-armour and stepped into the shower. “SAM,” she said, grabbing the shampoo and vigorously lathering her hair, “What’s your take on Reyes?” 

“When we see Reyes, or when his name comes up in conversation, your heart rate and respiratory rate increase; there is an increased level of dopamine in your system; and there is an increase in blood flow to your genital-” “Okay, SAM, I get it!” Ryder interrupted, embarrassed. SAM continued blithely, “These signs all point towards sexual arousal triggered by Reyes. However, your thoughts seem conflicted, and your brain releases cortisol - a stress hormone - as well, especially when Cora expresses her doubts. It appears that you are not of a single mind when it comes to Reyes.” Mara mulled this over silently while spreading conditioner through her hair, then realized that SAM had actually not answered her question. “SAM, you analyzed my thoughts and bodily… stuff. But what do you think? What’s your opinion?” 

“I require more information for further analysis before an educated opinion can be provided,” SAM said, in true SAM style. Mara snorted in amusement and squeezed bodywash onto her loofah. "You can say that again," she muttered. 

“I require more information for-”

“SAM!” Mara laughed, “It’s just an idiom! You don’t need to literally repeat yourself. All right - let’s go info-gathering.” 

*****

Reyes looked up with surprise, then pleasure as Mara Ryder stepped through the door of Tartarus office, armed to the teeth as usual. Today, she was accompanied by a different squad: a huge, hoary krogan named Drack, already well-known around Kadara Port as one of the oldest krogan alive and notorious for holding his liquor; and a young human guy, practically hopping with energy and enthusiasm, whom his agents had informed him was Liam, a ex-cop and crisis responder back on Earth. 

Reyes nodded respectfully to the two men and smiled uninhibitedly at Mara. She had impeccable timing; he had just finished dealing with an unfortunate report that one of his middlemen had gone missing. _Worst thing for a smuggler’s business: having your smuggled goods get smuggled in return._ Most aggravatingly, it seemed that that uppity hag Zia Cordier was involved. _Jesus, you work two jobs with a woman, sleep with her a few times, and she thinks she owns you and your business…_ He smiled internally to himself at the irony: he and Mara had had less contact than that (they had worked two jobs but no sleeping together - yet!), and yet he was hopelessly infatuated with her, more so than he had ever felt for Zia during all their months together. 

“Ryder!” Reyes said heartily, genuinely happy to see her. “Perfect timing. You saved me the trouble of looking for you.”

She raised one graceful eyebrow as she approached him, then settled her weight on one hip and tilted her head cockily to the side. “Should I go? You look like the type who enjoys the chase.” 

Reyes noted that Liam’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead and he stared with surprise and - _is that dismay?_ \- at Mara. _Interesting…_ On the other hand, Drack’s face conveyed nothing but boredom at their ridiculous human interaction. But Reyes was delighted at the quip. He couldn’t get over how quickly her manner could transition from professional to teasing in a matter of seconds. He chuckled. “Looks can be deceiving. I’m too shy for all that nonsense,” he replied, his equally flirtatious smile clearly conveying that there wasn’t a shy bone in his body. _Speaking of bones in my body… There’s one I can’t wait for her to chase after_. He chuckled again at his own lame mental quip. 

“Oh sure,” Mara replied, swaying her weight to her other hip, drawing his full attention to those sexy hips. “A real introvert. So what did you need me for?” 

Reyes forced his mind back to business and away from a dear fantasy of those full hips, naked, rocking against his in an altogether less businesslike setting. “A business rival, Zia Cordier, lifted cargo I was moving for a client.” 

Mara’s face settled into a more businesslike, skeptical expression. “You want my help getting it back.”

Reyes tilted his head coquettishly, his eyes pleading. “We worked so well together on the Roekaar job, I thought you’d be willing.” Mara pursed her lips, then asked him some more details about the cargo. He provided all the information he could (which wasn’t much), then awaited her response. He realized that he was hoping that she would say yes, for more reasons than one. Frankly, he didn’t need her help; this was a job he could easily do on his own, or with help from one of his representatives, but he wanted Mara. Not just because she was competent - hell, that was the understatement of the century, he had never met a more competent negotiator and close-combat fighter in his life - but because he just wanted her close. _There, I admit it,_ he thought to himself. _I like her, I want her near, and not just because she fits into my plans._ His chest hurt a bit at that thought, at the idea that she might turn him away once this whole power play for Kadara was over… or worse still, that she would take Sloane’s side and try to kill him. 

“We cut the profits, fifty-fifty.” Her confident voice cut through his ruminations. He looked up at her with surprise at her bold proposal, and at the fact that she bluntly turned this favour into a profit-grabbing opportunity. He couldn’t help it - he laughed with delight. _Again and again, showing herself as a woman after my own heart._ “Sixty-forty - final offer,” he finally replied. _And you don’t know it, but I’ve never offered such a good deal in my life._

“Deal,” Mara said casually, as though the whole thing was of no import to her. He gazed up at her, enjoying the teasing sexuality in her face. “When she stops in Kadara, Zia drinks at Kralla’s Song. We’ll start there - see if Umi heard anything that could help us.” Drack grunted approval at hearing this, and Reyes almost smiled - all of Kadara Port knew of Umi and Drack’s camaraderie. 

“By the way,” Mara, said, recapturing Reyes’ attention, “You said I should come to you if I needed intel…?” Her face was serious now, and Reyes nodded encouragement, following suit with her businesslike tone. “I want to establish an outpost on Kadara, but I’m not quite sure how to do it.” 

Reyes nodded. “Because of Sloane,” he stated. It wasn’t a question; every single person on Kadara knew of Sloane’s poisonous hatred for the Initiative. Indeed, Mara confirmed, “She’s made it pretty clear she hates the initiative.” 

Reyes snorted, privately pleased that his and Mara’s opinions of Sloane seemed to coincide. _This will definitely make things easier for me._ “The woman knows how to hold a grudge,” he drawled. “My advice? Gain favour with the little people,” he continued. “Prove that the Initiative hasn’t turned its back on them, and Sloane will hang herself.” _If only that could be arranged,_ he added to himself privately. _I wonder…_

“Thanks Reyes - I better get going,” Mara said, interrupting his private reverie once again. He looked up at her, capturing her gaze before she could turn away. They stared at each other for a moment, and he could see the heat building in her eyes, her face fighting to remain professional as the corners of her eyes tilted upwards in an unconscious smile. Finally he nodded to her, never breaking their gaze. “Thanks for stopping by,” he said quietly, huskily. She smiled back, a slow, small smile, before turning to go, taking Liam’s arm and chivvying him along when he didn’t immediately leave, Liam’s eyes still on Reyes, a frown of confusion and dismay on his earnest face. _I wonder what’s going on there… Looks like I’m not the only one with a thing for the Pathfinder._

Reyes shrugged it off; confident as he was in his own sexual appeal, he didn’t feel any particular competitiveness with other men. He savoured the feeling of warmth, relaxation, and anticipation that always lingered with him after being in Mara’s presence. _If talking shop with her feels this good, what will it be like if we’re ever together without any words involved?_ He idly stroked the hard shaft of his cock over his pants as he checked his omni-tool for messages, and sighed as he saw that he had received about fifteen new messages in the space of as many minutes. _Dammit, my work is never done. I guess I’ll put off the fantasies for later, like a grown-ass adult man._ He smirked, thinking again of Liam and his puppy-dog eyes staring at Mara. _There’s one kid who probably spends all his free time fantasizing about asari and watching True Blue Confessions. I wonder if Mara ever…_ He stopped himself there, shaking his head firmly as the image of Mara with Liam popped unwittingly into his head. _Argh, no, not going there! Come on brain, let’s get back into things. Outcast traitors are not going to off themselves._

******

Later that evening, Mara was actually surprised to find Reyes waiting for her at Kralla’s Song. She had fully expected to have to wait for him, even though she was 10 minutes late at this point. She shamelessly admired his taut ass before approaching and, stifling a laugh, said: "You look like you're waiting for someone". 

Reyes didn't turn, but from behind she could see his cheeks lift in a smile as he replied. "That's my line!" Mara settled herself beside him with her back to the bar, then glanced casually at him with a quirked eyebrow, purposely mimicking his own expression. The grin that broke over his face as his eyes met hers made her heart lift and set butterflies alight in her belly. Mara only realized they had been eyefucking each other for a little longer than was strictly decent when Umi groaned loudly. "You want a drink, or a room?" _Is that an option?_ thought Mara, then purposely broke eye contact with Reyes to face the bar and look sheepishly at Umi. "Information, actually," Reyes replied to Umi, his tone back to being briskly professional. Umi crossed her arms. "That's gonna cost you more than a round of drinks." Reyes placed a hand at the middle of Mara's back. "My friend's good for it." Mara whipped her head around to look at him, surprised more by his proprietary hand on her back than by his stringing her out to dry on the bill again. This was the first time he had touched her in any way that couldn't be written off as professional. Even when he has placed the solvent in her hand for Vehn's restraints, that could be written off as being discreet. _Maybe he's pushing to see how I'll react. He's feeling me out to see if I'll accept his touch?_ Even through her leather jacket and Reyes' gloves, she could feel the heat of his hand. _Or do I only wish I could feel it? Or am I actually getting hot under the collar, as it were?_

Reyes' eyebrows were slightly raised, questioning her... challenging her? _It always feels like we're sparring. Ok, mister, I'll meet you halfway._ Mara swiped a generous amount of credits to Umi's omni-tool. "I'll expect a favour in return," she told Reyes, her lips twisted sardonically… and shifting her weight to her left hip, so it was almost touching his. _Yes, Reyes, I’ll permit you to touch me. Permission happily granted…_ A slow smile crept over his face, and a slow burn of heat flared in his eyes. He leaned in, sliding his hand more securely around her hip, lowering his voice to a teasingly sexy tone. "You're one person I'll happily owe something." Mara scoffed and turned to him, a snarky response halfway out of her mouth, but Umi's annoyed groan interrupted, pulling both of their attention back to the task at hand. "What do you wanna know?" Umi asked, her tone that of a long-suffering bartender who had long since grown weary of many species' awkward mating rituals.

As was his wont, Reyes switched back to professional mode swiftly, removing his hand from Ryder's hip, to her mild regret. "Zia Cordier. She been around recently?" Umi crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "You mean your ex? Yeah, she was here." Mara slowly turned to Reyes, her own eyebrows now raised. "Ex? As in, girlfriend?" Ryder didn't really mind; after all, everyone had a past - hell, she and Liam had fooled around during their first few months on the Tempest before she figured out he was an utter frat boy (albeit a well-meaning one) - but she had to admit she was curious about a woman that could captivate Reyes. With his suave confidence and quick flirting, she had pegged him for the kind of man who loved 'em and left 'em. _Come on, brain, be honest - you've got a competitive streak a kilometre wide and you want to scope this Zia out._ To her surprise, Reyes actually looked disconcerted by the mention of Zia being his ex. Despite his shifty occupation, she had never seen him actually look shifty until now. "Girlfriend is such a strong word," he stammered. "We had drinks occasionally... so..." He coughed awkwardly, not meeting her eyes, and turning her competitive curiosity to concern... and maybe a little jealousy. _What's so special about this Zia that she warrants such a strong reaction?_

Reyes' attention was back on Umi. "She was here?" Mara's analytical mind, well-used to multitasking on xenoarcheological digs, allowed her to focus the best part of her brain on the information from Umi and Reyes' conversation, but a small part of it gnawed on this new detail about Reyes. From a purely professional standpoint, was there a conflict of interest for Reyes? _As the Pathfinder, I don't want to get involved if this is just some lover's spat._ But it obviously also chafed on a personal level. Mara didn't think she had imagined the heat between herself and Reyes, but his unnerving reaction to his history with Zia being revealed... now she wasn't so sure. _Maybe this is all just business for him... I'm just a useful point of contact, who's fun to flirt with along the way. He’s still got a more serious thing for this so-called ex._ The thought was more disappointing than she was comfortable with. She took a small breath and shoved her personal rumination aside, returning her full attention to Reyes and Umi. 

"You didn't hear it from me," Umi was saying as she finished telling Reyes about Zia's meeting with a potential Collective agent. She sauntered over to the other side of the bar to serve a belligerent salarian. Reyes turned to Mara, his face businesslike and his bronze eyes focused. "You check at the meeting spot; I'll follow the Collective lead." He shifted his weight, clearly impatient to get in action. "Doubt Zia was meeting the Charlatan, but you never know." He then looked down at Mara, and his eyebrows contracted as he took note of her serious expression. "What's wrong?" he asked. 

Mara gazed up at him, admiring his hooded eyes, his full but firm lips. _Oh Reyes... what am I to you?_ Out loud, she said, "Is this about the cargo, or one-upping an ex?" His face relaxed and he smiled at her, sliding closer to her along the bar until their arms were touching. He nudged her shoulder playfully with his, dropped his face close to hers. "Why, Ryder... are you jealous?" Mara fought not to smile but it was so hard to resist his face in full beam. And as before - and like every time they looked at each other - she felt that heat, that sizzling connection between them. But all it did now was serve to confuse her. She cocked her head at him, forcing the twitch of a smile from her face. "Just answer the question." To her pique, rather than taking her seriously, he laughed out loud and stood up straight. "It's about the cargo!" he insisted. As her face remained serious, his smile became cajoling and he squeezed her arm encouragingly. "Go on. Call me when you get to the meeting point." 

__"Reyes, this needs to be legit Pathfinder-relevant business. I can't get involved if it's not... important."_ _

__Finally she had his attention. He looked down at her, his face serious. He slowly stepped close to her, his voice low and intense. "It's important, Pathfinder. I wouldn't waste your time." He raised his hand, almost as though to stroke her cheek; her lips parted unconsciously as she gazed into his eyes. The ever-present energy between them swelled and Mara's heart pounded as he stared down at her, his bronze gaze intense. He hesitated, then dropped his hand, moving slightly away from her. She released a breath that she hasn't realized she was holding as Reyes spoke. "Remember the credits, Ryder. You'll be able to afford the deluxe outpost with this payout! That is, if Sloane ever lets you put down roots." His voice, though rougher-sounding than usual, was albeit playful, and she was suddenly relieved for the flippant turn in the conversation. Finally, she smiled at Reyes. "I'll make myself a special Pathfinder crown with the leftovers," she replied. She was relieved and gratified to hear his warm chuckle in response. _Alright, girl,_ she thought, _Let's get out of here and get our head in the game for this next mission._ With that thought, Mara gave Reyes a casual salute and left the bar.__

____

____

____

*******

____

____

____

Reyes' heart ached as he watched Mara walk away. He could tell her mind was in 100% Pathfinder mode from the speed and purpose of her stride, and he was grateful. _At least she left on a positive note. I was worried for a moment there that..._ What was he worried about, exactly? That he would lose the most important business contact he had? Or that he would lose the growing affection of a woman who was becoming increasingly important to him personally? 

____

____

____

Reyes turned back to the bar and silently signalled Umi for another whiskey with a raised finger. She approached him, bottle in hand, and poured his whiskey without a word. Reyes watched her idly, his face pensive, then realized she was looking at him. He raised his eyes questioningly, then literally jumped in surprise when Umi suddenly and unexpectedly burst out laughing. _Kadara's most stone-faced asari, laughing!_ In spite of himself, Reyes felt a rueful smile spread across his face. "You can be such a bitch sometimes," he told her as he downed his drink. "You should have seen your face," countered Umi, wiping the bar briskly. Reyes smirked at her, then shook his head and chuckled. They both stood in a comfortable silence, Reyes deep in thought and Umi tidying the bottles. Suddenly she spoke again. "She deserved to know." Reyes' looked up at her sharply, but Umi's face was open and blunt as always - no hint of double-meaning. When Reyes continued to look confused, Umi gave a trademark long-suffering sigh. "The Pathfinder likes you. You obviously like her." Umi flicked her rag at him and turned to serve another customer. "Don't fuck it up like you usually do." 

____

____

____

Reyes watched her, feeling a swell of respect for the pragmatic bartender, but also a swell of trepidation. _If only you knew the stakes, Umi…_

____

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____


	6. A Better Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara Ryder and Reyes Vidal confront the deceptive Zia Cordier, and Mara sees a darker, unfamiliar side of Reyes.

Mara stepped through the doors to the cabin indicated by Reyes’ navpoint. Reyes’ warm, caramel voice floated over from the back of the room. “There you are. Help me get this open.” 

Mara rounded the corner, Drack and Liam in tow, to find Reyes fumbling with a cargo container. “What’ve we got?” she asked, drawing close. Reyes lifted the lid, then suddenly drew back in confusion. “It’s… empty,” he said slowly, consternation drawing his eyebrows into a frown.

Mara suddenly had a bad feeling about this. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention as she said, “What if this was all just some elaborate trick to get you here?”

Reyes shoulders suddenly slumped in resignation and he sighed heavily. “You mean there was never any cargo.” 

“Bravo.” A drawling French-accented voice drifted into the room, followed by a pretty, sharp-looking woman, who had - Mara couldn’t help but notice - the most on-point winged eyeliner she had seen in 600 years. The woman fluttered her eyelashes mock-flirtatiously at Reyes, causing Mara to feel an instantaneous and deep dislike. “I knew you’d figure it out eventually.”

Reyes eyed the woman scornfully, his lip curled slightly with disdain. “Zia.”

Zia Cordier cocked her head at him, her face intolerably smug. “You never could resist a big payout.” 

Reyes shifted into a more relaxed posture, but Mara could feel the tension emanating from him; despite his outwardly casual appearance, he was ready to fight. His right hand was hovering over the Carnifex hanging from his hip. “What can I say? I’m a greedy man,” he said, his voice light and casual, in contrast with his face, which was… unusually neutral. _Shit, I’ve never seen his face look so blank. Is that what he’s like when he’s angry?_

“That’s why you don’t have any friends. You’re selfish,” Zia retorted, her spiteful tone getting Mara’s back up. “Reyes is a better man than you think,” she snapped, glaring at Zia. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reyes’ head whip around to regard her with surprise. Zia chuckled, a low, knowing sound that grated on Mara’s nerves and made her trigger finger twitch. “Oh honey,” she drawled, “you have no idea how wrong you are. But you will.” Mara opened her mouth, a stream of vitriol on the tip of her tongue - she hated when other women, especially women the same age as her, called her ‘honey’ - the ultimate passive-aggressive insult. But before she could say another word, Reyes took a step forward, standing slightly in front of Mara. “Leave her out of this,” he said. His voice was completely flat, but deadly serious - and dangerous. The fine hairs on Mara’s arms stood on end under her armour at the tone of his voice - cold, expressionless, but brutal. He emanated a danger she had never before felt from him. With a slight shock of trepidation, Mara realized she had never really thought of him as a dangerous man. But now… 

Zia laughed again, this time a mirthless, bitter sound. “You must really like this one, Reyes,” she said, her mocking tone undercut by the bitter look on her face.

“Cut the shit,” Reyes snapped, some anger bleeding into his voice. “What’s this all about?”

Zia shrugged easily, a bored expression on her face. “You’ve been taking all the good jobs in Kadara,” she said. “It’s gotten more than just my attention.”

“So what?” demanded Reyes, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “The local smuggling union got together and decided to take me down?” 

Zia smirked, folding her arms with that intolerable smugness. “Something like that.”

Reyes rubbed his forehead in frustration, glancing over at Mara in worry. “Shit.” Behind her, Mara could feel Drack and Liam tensing themselves for a fight. 

Zia raised her voice. “Move in!” On the upper floor, and around the sides of the building, Mara could hear approaching footsteps - a lot of footsteps. _Godammit! This was not part of my plan for the day,_ Mara thought in exasperation, whipping her Dhan shotgun off her back. She nodded grimly to Liam and Drack, and together with Reyes, they burst into the fray. 

By this point in Mara’s Pathfinder career, there had been so many outnumbered fights that close-quarters battle was second nature to her. This meant that even while fighting, she was able to watch Reyes as he attacked his former competition and would-be assassins. He moved gracefully, striking mostly from long-to-mid range, but occasionally darting forward for a precisely placed stab of his angaran dagger ( _I wonder where he got that from?_ she thought), then dodging away before another enemy could touch him. Mara was transfixed - and chilled - by his face: cold, deadly in his anger, unflinchingly taking down victim after victim with single shots of his kett assault rifle. _He really is dangerous,_ she thought, a new feeling of caution blooming in her chest as she watched him: he smoothly dodged the jab of an omni-tool to grab the would-be attacker’s arm and stab in the vulnerable area under the armpit, his face hard and intensely focused. 

The fighting hit a lull: it seemed as though they had taken down the entire smuggler’s ‘union’. Suddenly, Mara saw Zia slip from the shadows and approach Reyes silently from behind, a Sidewinder leveled at his head. A wave of icy fear made her light-headed as she opened her mouth to yell a warning, but suddenly, faster than she would have believed possible, Reyes whipped around, grabbed Zia’s relaxed arm, pulled her close and jammed his lethally sharp dagger up into Zia’s ribs with brutal force. Zia grunted, her Sidewinder falling from nerveless fingers as she fought for breath that wouldn’t come, thanks to her now-punctured lung and diaphragm. Mara stared, breathless with shock and relief, as Reyes dropped Zia to the floor, now choking on her own blood, Reyes’ dagger in her chest. She glanced at his face - and felt another icy wave of trepidation at his expression: cold, completely devoid of emotion, except for his eyes which burned with rage. Without saying a word, without a change in his facial expression, his eyes still fixed on Zia’s face, he bent down, took her Sidewinder from the floor, and shot her point-blank between the eyes.

The sound of the shot rang out in the shelter, then silence except for the sound of Drack’s residual blood-rage growling, Liam’s panting for breath, and Mara’s own pounding heart in her ears. Reyes finally lifted his face from Zia to look at her, and for the first time, she felt… scared of him. His face was almost unrecognizable in its coldness; she was so used to his quick smiles, his flirtatious heat, the intense warmth of his gaze, that his cold, almost inhuman facial expression made him utterly unfamiliar to her. He must have seen something of her feelings in her face: he took a deep breath, dropped the Sidewinder, and finally smiled at Mara, his smile a bit pained but his bronze hooded eyes slowly regaining their usual warmth. “I knew I wasn’t popular, but I never thought the other smugglers would team up against me,” he said, his voice its usual sexy, caramel-smooth warmth. Finally, then, his face relaxed fully, and he looked at her, his face playful. “Kind of flattering, actually.”

Despite her new feelings of cautious reserve, Mara felt a sudden surge of protectiveness for him. _He could have died. This could have been so, so terrible… What if Drack, Liam and I hadn’t been here?_ “They might try again,” she said, trying to keep her voice businesslike, but knowing that there was a strain of anxiety in her tone. Reyes obviously heard it, because his smile softened to something more tender. He chuckled. “You worried about me?” 

Mara looked at him with exasperation and worry. “Reyes.” 

“Relax,” he said soothingly, retrieving his knife from Zia’s body without looking at her and wiping it on Zia’s clothes. “I know they’re coming now. They won’t get the jump on me.” He sheathed his dagger and sighed gustily, looking around the room at the bloodbath around them. “All that effort and no credits to show for it.” Mara allowed herself a small smile and rolled her eyes. “Not everything has to be about credits,” she remarked, folding her arms. 

Reyes looked at her, his face unexpectedly serious. “That’s true.” She stared at him, the playful smile fading from her face, speechless at how serious and - wistful - his face looked. He slowly moved close to her. “What you said back there… About me being a better man.” He raised his hand and tilted her chin up towards his. His voice was low, intimate, and sincere, his bronze eyes warm. “Thank you.” 

Mara gazed deeply into his eyes, a sudden lump in her throat, an unexpected burn of tears at the back of her eyes at the emotion in his face. _He seems so sad… Why is he sad?_ The moment felt too intense, fraught with things she didn’t know about him, fraught with her own feelings for him, which now felt more unsafe since she had seen a colder, dangerous side of him. _But it’s not the danger per se that bothers me,_ she thought to herself. _Danger is fine; it means he can take of himself. It’s that I don’t know how he became so dangerous and calculating. How can I feel so close to him but really not know him at all?_ She swallowed, still gazing at him. Underneath everything, that damned electric connection was still flowing between them, making her want to press herself close, despite her misgivings. Finally she raised her hand and gently stroked the side of his face, then tweaked his earlobe playfully. “You're welcome,” she replied gently. 

Reyes’ face broke into a smile, chasing away the seriousness and releasing the tension in her chest, allowing her to smile as well. He then stepped back slightly, sighing again. “I should clean up this mess. Zia was a piece of work, but it feels wrong to leave her out in the open.” 

_Why?_ Mara thought acidly, then instantly felt ashamed of the callous thought. _Of course he'd want to bury her properly; he knew her, after all._ Mara forced her mind away from unpleasant thoughts of Reyes with the pretty, perfectly-eyelined smuggler. Without looking at him, she nodded a wordless farewell and headed for the door. As she stood aside to let Liam and Drack pass, she glanced back at Reyes. His face was businesslike and distant, and he was already busy collecting weapons from the bodies. _Waste not, want not,_ Mara thought approvingly. He glanced up when he realized she hadn't yet left. Upon seeing her standing there, he nodded towards the door encouragingly. “Go on,” he said gently, his face serious except for the corners of his eyes, which were turned up in a smile. “I'll clean this up.” Finally, Mara nodded again, then stepped out into the late afternoon sun. 

************

Reyes rolled the second-to-last smuggler’s body into the large grave that one of his asari agents had dug using biotics to displace the soil. The agent hadn't known the reason for needing the hole; a middleman of a representative had conveyed the orders. Reyes straightened up and wiped the sweat from his brow, thankful that Kadara had a night cycle to cool things down. The lack of light pollution allowed Andromeda’s stars to glow brightly in the pitch-black sky - something Reyes appreciated deeply, as he hadn't seen much in the way of stars when growing up in the densely populated city of Barcelona on Earth. _The stars would almost be romantic… if not for all these fucking bodies I have to deal with._

The thought of romance turned his thoughts back to Mara Ryder - bold, skilled, beautiful, intelligent Mara Ryder, who had vouched for him being a good man… right before he murdered Zia in cold blood. Sure, he could say that he had killed her in self-defence, but in reality, he could easily have disarmed her without killing her. The truth was that the moment he realized Zia had set him up - and more importantly, put Mara in danger - he had wanted her dead. _She was a loose cannon; it wasn't just my life on the line._ Reyes had no regrets about killing Zia; he still felt a burning fury at the thought that she would have murdered Mara just to get to him. But he hated thinking of the cautious, distant look on Mara’s face as she had left him alone in the shelter after the fight. His heart was heavy with the thought of their growing connection being destroyed by a single shot. Reyes certainly wasn't ashamed of who he was: he had become a calculating killer and master of deception in order to survive, and now to thrive. But he hoped he hadn't lost Mara completely by allowing her to see his darkest side. 

Reyes sighed heavily and turned to Zia’s body, wrapped, like all the others, in a special bacterial wrap designed to help break down organic matter more quickly. The wrap would decompose the bodies into soil in the space of 2 weeks. As Reyes took another moment to gaze up at the sky, he pondered that he did have one thing to be grateful for. _This little stunt of Zia’s means that all the smuggling business on Kadada will come through… me. I guess I should thank her, really,_ he thought with dark amusement. He gently used his boot to tip her body on top of all the others, then sent Keema an encrypted message to send some trusted agents to finish burying the bodies. 

Once Keema confirmed receipt of his orders, he hopped into his shuttle and returned to his quarters in Kadara Port, his mind gnawing over the way he had left things with Mara. He couldn’t lie to himself anymore; he really, really liked Mara Ryder. And it had been such a long time since someone thought he was worth something, that he actually wanted to be able to prove her right. He didn’t want her words of defense to be in vain. _Reyes is a better man than you think…_

He poured himself a whiskey on the rocks (Umi would be disgusted if she could see him now!), flopped down on his couch, and thought for a moment… then he pulled up his omni-tool and, before he could change his mind, sent Mara a message. 

_Despite my stupid ‘codename’, I’m not good with words for times like this. I can only hope she’ll understand what I really mean…_


	7. Travelling Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyes Vidal and Mara Ryder exchange emails, and discuss their feelings with some trusted friends... whether those friends' advice will be useful is another matter.

> To: Mara Ryder  
> From: Reyes Vidal  
> Subject: About Zia
> 
> In case you were wondering…
> 
> My taste in women has improved since I ended things with her.
> 
> Reyes

Mara reread the message twice more, unable to stop the goofy smile from spreading over her face. After what had transpired on Kadara that evening, she honestly hadn't expected to hear from him for a while; he had seemed so remote when she’d left the shelter, and with the amount of ‘clean-up’ he had to do, she figured he'd be too busy to think about anything else. But there he was, his words in her mind, the image of his smiling face and wicked eyes, occupying her thoughts again with two simple lines.

 _Come on, Mara, it's barely even a confirmation of interest. Let’s not read more into this than we should,_ she admonished herself. Still, she couldn't help but feel cheerful as checked the clothing/loadout terminal on the other side of the room to confirm Gil had gotten her armour maintenance request. 

“Ryder!! There you are! What's the hold-up?” Peebee burst into Mara’s room, literally hopping with impatience. Startled, Mara turned, then rolled her eyes in fond exasperation. “Don't you ever knock?” she drawled, drifting back to her email terminal.

“Obviously not! Look,” Peebee said urgently, “I sent you an email, I have this new project and it'll turn Poc into a bona fide Remnant mystery detector! I need some stuff though - we have to get on this! It's-” Peebee stopped, catching the residual goofy smile on Mara’s face as she flicked from Reyes’ email to Peebee’s. “What's up?” Peebee asked, her ever-present curiosity piqued. 

“Nothing,” Mara said hastily, stating fixedly at Peebee’s email. “So, Remnant mystery detector?” 

“Nice try, I'm curious now! Tell me the secret,” Peebee chirped, bouncing over to Ryder’s terminal. Ryder shook her head fondly and gave in, pulling Reyes’ email back up for Peebee to read.

Peeve read the email in 2 seconds then turned back to Mara, her eyes bright. “This is that guy on Kadara that you have a crush on?” Mara opened her mouth to reply, but Peebee was already barrelling onwards. “Go for it! Come on, Ryder,” she said earnestly, “Sex is a natural expression of attraction! There's no point waffling around if you both want it. Obviously he does!”

“But I hardly know him!” Mara interrupted. “I… he’s got a past that I don't know about. I mean, I don't mind a past, everyone has a past, but I don't know his past. I need to know more about him first. I can’t just…” Mara stuttered to a stop as Peebee peered closely at her, her eyes round.

“Ohhhh, you _like_ -like him, don't you?” Peebee said, still examining Mara closely as though she were a piece of Remtech. “I thought it was just a sex thing, from what Vetra and Cora said.” Mara flushed - _what are those nosy cats saying about me!_ \- and gazed at Peebee pleadingly. “Peebee, I just saw a side of him I didn't know was there. I don't mind a little danger, I really don't. I just…” Mara sighed. “I dunno, Peebs. Have you ever had just… an instantaneous connection with someone? Like you knew them immediately? And knew you could trust them?...” Mara trailed off as she realized Peebee was no longer looking at her, but rather, was staring out into the stars through Mara’s panoramic windows, her face distant and her gaze unfocused. “Peebs? You okay?”

Peebee turned back to Mara, and with concern, Mara noted that Peebee’s face was more serious than Mara had ever seen it. “I have felt that before,” Peebee replied quietly, then didn’t elaborate. When Mara looked at her quizzically, Peebee shook her head slightly and smiled to herself a little sadly. “It’s… something special, isn’t it?” She smiled at Mara, her smile becoming understanding. Mara smiled back, still a little concerned; she knew there was more to this, that there was something Peebee wasn’t telling her. _But our Peebs is very private… she’ll come out with it in her own time._

The two friends sat in silent thought for a moment, then Mara asked the big question: “What should I do?” 

Peebee laughed, back to her usual self. “That’s your problem, not mine! I don’t do… _feelings_. They’re so heavy. You know me, I travel light!” Peebee headed towards the door, then called over her shoulder, “Don’t forget about my project! I’ll be in the escape pod when you’re done mooooning over your emails!”

Ryder snorted in amusement as she heard Peebee’s feet clatter quickly up the ladder. “You’re no help at all, you know that?”

Peebee’s voice floated down from the bridge. “You know it!”

*********

> To: Reyes Vidal  
> From: Mara Ryder  
> Subject: Be back soon
> 
> In case YOU were wondering…
> 
> I’m going off planet - there's urgent ark business to attend to. I’ll be in touch when I can. I promise.

Reyes shifted restlessly on his couch in Tartarus. It had been 4 days since he’d received that email, and he’d had no further word from the Pathfinder since. He had initially felt optimistic since her email had playfully referenced his, which made him think he was in the clear for the whole Zia episode, but the 4 days of no contact had him questioning himself again. He still held out hope that he’d hear from her soon. His contacts on Elaaden hadn't reported any sightings of the Tempest or her crew, but a colleague on H-047c had forwarded him a hacked email mentioning a top-of-the-line Nomad being sighted rocketing around the asteroid’s surface. _if she's on H-047c, she'll be knee-deep in trouble; more than enough to keep her busy, too busy to email some no-good smuggler..._ In the meantime, his agents in Kadara Port had strict instructions to report immediately when the Tempest landed. Until then, Reyes was burying himself in business as usual.

“... A smuggler on Elaaden named Valeria who’s looking to trade with someone on Kadara. Says there’s a ton of salvage to be had if you’re crazy and vicious enough to go after it.” Keema shook her head in disgust. “I can’t imagine living out there in that hellhole. I’d rather spend a week in our badlands with only a dagger and the clothes on my back.” 

Reyes smirked at his angaran friend and colleague and poured himself a second shot of whiskey. “And to think they call Kadara the ‘dangerous exile planet’,” he said lazily as he downed the drink. “Tann’s head is so far up his cloaca, he has no idea of the situation with the krogan colony. Or that filthy flophouse.”

“That’s not your problem or mine,” Keema retorted, raising her eyebrows. “The time is getting ripe for a change here, don’t you think? Your little Pathfinder has certainly turned this place around.” Keema watched Reyes’ face with affectionate amusement, enjoying the way he tried so hard to keep from reacting to the mention of Pathfinder Ryder. 

Keema had known Reyes for just over a year now. After Sloane ‘rescued’ the local angara from the kett, Keema had hidden from the Outcasts in Kadara Port, destitute, her whole family killed, and unable to pay Sloane’s newly instituted ‘protection fees’. Reyes had helped her hack into one of Sloane’s cronies’ terminals and steal a small fortune without a trace - more than enough to see her through a few months’ of protection fees and to restart her life, and enough to cement their working relationship. Over time, she had come to see through Reyes’ flirtatious, blandly friendly exterior, and to respect him with the same affection as - well, if not as a brother, as a very close cousin. 

Reyes refused to look at Keema. “She’s not _my_ Pathfinder,” he said with as much dignity as he could muster, forcing Keema to bite her lips to stop herself from laughing out loud. “And her work here has been… something else. That woman knows how to get things done,” he said, unable to hide the admiration in his voice. He then glanced quickly at Keema, who was still looking at him with the knowing smugness of an older sister. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Come on, Keema, say what you want to say. I know you’re dying to-” 

“Oh, come now Reyes, it’s fine to have feelings! They’re not going to kill you, you know. We angara think-” 

“I know what the angara think, I know, I know! You’re always telling me…” Reyes slumped back on the couch, looking for all the world like a put-upon younger brother. He put on a high-pitched voice that was a hilariously terrible parody of Keema’s voice. “Reyes, you’re emotionally constipated, keeping your feelings in will make you sick, tell her that you want her, blah blah…” He sat back up and poured himself a third drink, scowling at Keema petulantly. “You were the one who wanted to talk business tonight. I’m trying to stick to business here. The Pathfinder-” 

“Mara Ryder,” Keema interrupted loudly.

“Ryder,” Reyes interjected even more loudly, “has been more effective at smoothing the way for the Collective than we ever hoped. She’s even cleaned up some loose ends we couldn’t fix without blowing our cover. You know she took down that fake-ass asari pretender who was using Ryota’s formula to make that fucking drug of Sloane’s?” 

“I’m aware, Reyes. You told me about it. Three times.” Keema grabbed the whiskey bottle before Reyes could pour himself a fourth. “You’re still working,” she said bluntly as he tried to grab it back. “Three-drink maximum, remember?”

Reyes groaned. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Keema. Everything’s going exactly according to plan. What’s your problem?”

Keema put the bottle down, then took Reyes’ chin in her hand and looked into his eyes the way she might look at a disobedient child. “You should tell her the truth,” Keema said firmly. Reyes grunted in disbelief and pushed Keema’s hand away as Keema continued. “She has only ever worked with you, and you already know she feels the same way about Sloane as we do. It’s hardly a risk. If you tell her, I bet she would make things even easier for us. What are you so worried about?” 

Reyes shrugged, running his hand through his slicked-back hair, seeming more agitated than Keema had ever seen him. “What if she changes her mind? You didn’t see her reaction when I shot Zia,” he countered. “She might not like what we have planned for Sloane. All it would take is one snap reaction… The whole thing could fall apart.” Keema could hear what he was really saying: _What if she changes her mind about me? What if she wants nothing to do with me?_

Keema knew that he had a point; even if they were 95% certain of Ryder’s leanings, there was no way to know for absolute certain that she wouldn’t do the ‘honorable soldier’ thing and save Sloane’s life because it was the ‘ethical’ thing to do. _As though driving my people out of their homes for her selfish protection fees is ethical…_ Keema took a deep breath and let it out, calming the simmering rage that was always present in her chest. _But if this Ryder is a fraction as infatuated with Reyes as he is with her, there’s no way she would turn on him._ If Keema knew anything for certain, it was that Reyes was hopelessly in love with the Pathfinder, even if he refused to admit it. _Now, to see if she loves him too..._

To that end, Keema shrugged blandly, feigning boredom. “Fine, have it your way. I’ll drop it. By the way, Sloane’s having another of her ass-kissing parties next week. I got your name on the list, and one guest. I want to meet your Pathfinder,” she said briskly, pouring herself a drink and downing it in one graceful movement. “Bring her. No buts. I want to meet this woman who’s changing Kadara one exile at a time.” Reyes slowly looked up at Keema. His eyes were still agitated, but grateful. Keema’s heart swelled with affection for this tortured human who was now her only family. _I knew he was looking for an excuse to see her again… he just needed a push, the idiot._

“Thank you, Keema,” he said quietly. “I’ll - we’ll - be there.” He quirked an eyebrow at her, his usual smirk reappearing at last. “But I won’t be on time. I’m always fashionably late.”

Keema stood, preparing to leave, and wrinkled her nose at him. “‘Fashionably late’? What does that even mean? How does being late have anything to do with fashion? You know what,” she added, holding up a hand as Reyes opened his mouth to explain - or to mock her. “I don’t care. Think about that Elaaden contact, Vidal. I’ll see you tomorrow.” They exchanged an angaran handshake, then Keema took her leave, the door to Tartarus’ private room sliding silently closed behind her. 

Reyes eyed the whiskey bottle, contemplating one last drink, then decided against it. He had a lot to think about… all of it revolving around Mara Ryder. _Keema thinks I should tell her… but what if she can't accept… this?_ Reyes ignored the ache in his chest and told himself repeatedly that the reasons for deception were purely business. Ten minutes later, when he headed to his quarters to sleep for a few hours before daybreak, he had almost convinced himself that he wouldn't be devastated if Mara left him behind. _In the meantime, we have a party to crash… can't wait for Sloane’s face when she sees her two ‘favourite’ people on Kadara._


	8. More than just a distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyes Vidal invites Mara Ryder to a party at the Outcast HQ, and the sizzling heat of their connection reaches a boiling point, as they both start to realize what they mean to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to the "good stuff" here! ;)
> 
> This is a really long chapter, guys - but I really hope you enjoy. I loved thinking about the backstory of Keema and Reyes, as well as his mysterious history. Hope you'll like my take on things.
> 
> As always, more to come...

> To: Ryder  
> From: Reyes Vidal
> 
> Ryder,
> 
> Thanks again for your help with Zia. And the Roekaar. I owe you something special. And I think I found just the thing. Give me a call when you have a minute.
> 
> Reyes

Mara flopped back on her bed, boneless with exhaustion. She and the crew had been in action non-stop for a week straight: first saving Ark Leusinia, then pursuing Sid’s kidnapping lead on H-047c which had ended up including rescuing Sid herself, and then the incredible discovery of the Remnant helium-3 tiller on H-047c that would power the Initiative’s ships for centuries. Despite her utter fatigue, Ryder’s mind thrummed with satisfaction. _I might feel about as strong as a hanar on Jupiter right now, but I wouldn’t trade this job for the world. Every mission we accomplish brings us a step closer to really establishing our home here… And every place we go is more mind-bogglingly, incredibly alien than the one before._ Ryder had been literally speechless with awe on H-047c. The low grav, the incredible view of the asteroid belt with no atmosphere to obscure it… She and Peebee had actually cried a little bit at the insane beauty of the destroyed planet, even though its utter destruction meant it was (obviously) no longer a viable home planet. She and the whole crew had unabashedly taken turns rocketing around the planet in the Nomad, just for the sheer pleasure of soaring gracefully into the air and over those enormous crevasses… after they had saved Sid and started the tiller up, of course.

 _And the fun never ends,_ Mara thought to herself, her thoughts drifting to Reyes’ email, which she had received 2 days ago. She had desperately wanted to call him immediately, but everything had just been too urgent, she hadn’t had a chance to get back to him. _I hope he doesn’t think I’m purposely ignoring him… That whole business with Zia was a shock, but not enough to drive me away._ Mara rolled over on her stomach, nuzzling her face comfortably into her pillow, her thoughts mulling over Reyes. _Is there anything about Reyes that would drive me away?_ She wasn’t entirely comfortable with the fact that her instinctive answer to that question was a resounding ‘no’. Every time her thoughts turned to him, and her body thrilled to the idea of his touch on her back, his gentle hand on her chin, she had to forcibly remind herself that despite their crazy connection and the undeniable sexual heat between them, Mara did not know Reyes as more than an acquaintance. _If any other casual acquaintance shot a dying person in cold blood, I would keep a clear distance from them… But not from Reyes. What’s the deal with that?_

Mara lay there for another couple of minutes, partly lost in her confusing, frustrating thoughts, and partly just completely comfy. (Being the Pathfinder had its perks: specifically, her ergonomic foam-and-spring mattress and luxury goosedown pillows.) Finally, she rose, slipped her shoes back on, and headed up to the meeting room to call Reyes. _Let’s see what this extra-special surprise is…_

*******

“Ryder! I was just thinking about you.” 

As always, every time she heard that chocolate-rich voice, Mara’s face broke into a smile. Her cheeks pinked slightly at the obviously sexual note in his voice. _Thinking about me, hmm?_ “I’d love to hear more, but this isn’t a private channel,” she replied, surprised at the sexy purr in her own voice. _Unbelievable._ as soon as she heard his voice or saw his face, all the angst in her mind disappeared and she felt relaxed, comfortable, excited… aroused. _This can’t be good… but damn, does it ever feel good._

“I could tell you over drinks,” Reyes said, and even in the flickering blue holo-image, Mara could see his eyebrow quirk. “Sloane’s holding a get-together for the locals. I managed to snag an invite. Care to be my plus-one?” 

Mara’s eyebrows lifted in surprised skepticism. “Sloane doesn’t seem like the party type.” 

“She sees these events as a necessary evil to keep the people happy,” Reyes replied, his tone carefully flat… and thereby conveying his low opinion of Sloane, which Mara certainly agreed with. _Wait a second,_ Mara suddenly thought, her stomach leaping with excitement, _Is this…?_ “Are you… asking me out?” she said, to be totally clear.

The slow, playful smile that spread over Reyes’ holo-image was only slightly less endearing than his IRL smile. “I promise to be a perfect gentleman,” he said gallantly. 

Mara bit her lower lip and smiled slowly at him. “And if I don’t want you to be a gentleman?” 

Reyes’ playful smile slipped into something darker, hotter… and utterly devilish. He canted his head down, his hooded bronze eyes dark with promise. His voice, when he spoke, was deeper than usual, with a sexual growl she hadn’t heard before. “That can be arranged.”

Mara’s lips parted involuntarily on a deep breath as his voice made a shiver of sexual heat ripple from her throat down to her toes. She could feel her nipples tightening under her shirt and leather coat (thank the goddess Reyes couldn’t see!), and a flash of throbbing heat between her thighs. She stared at his holo-image, his face dark, amused, and sexual, awaiting her reply. Mara fought to get her reaction under control as she replied, her voice straining for a casual note. She dropped her gaze from his, fussing needlessly with her omni-tool. “I’d never say no to free drinks,” she finally said. _It won’t do to descend into raunchy banter in the public meeting room,_ she thought to herself with mild embarrassment. _If I’d been able to call him from my private quarters, on the other hand…_

“Especially from Sloane’s reserve,” Reyes replied, his voice now friendly but bland. She looked at him, noting the mischievous twist of his lips and the lingering heat in his eyes. _He’s purposely riling me up in public! What a little…_ Amused at his ongoing attempts to one-up her, she tossed her head slightly to throw back her bangs and leaned in towards his holo image, presenting her small but perfectly rounded breasts (hidden though they were under her leather jacket), and slowly biting her lower lip before smiling at him. She was gratified when his own lips parted slightly and he shifted restlessly from one foot to the other. “I’ll meet you at Outcast HQ,” he said hastily, then with a small wave, he ended the call. 

Mara laughed to herself, leaving the meeting room, a spring in her step. _Two can play at the seductive game, my shady friend._ “Everyone, we’re going to Kadara Port for some downtime!” she called out. With amusement, she heard a mixture of happy exclamations (from Drack and Vetra) and groans (from Cora, Peebee - who never wanted to relax - and Jaal). 

“Ryder, may we speak a moment?” Jaal said, joining her as she headed along the glass path towards the bridge. 

“Sure, Jaal - what is it?”

“I have tried to hide my feelings, but I feel I must be honest. I hate it there.” He stopped walking and folded his arms petulantly. 

Mara looked at Jaal with amusement and sympathy. “I know. I can tell. You’re _really_ not hiding it well. Why don’t you just stay on the ship?” 

Jaal lifted his chin. “Because I’m afraid of missing out,” he announced grandly. 

Mara couldn’t help it - she laughed out loud. “Humans back in the early 2010s had a word for that! It’s called FOMO - Fear Of Missing Out. That can be your word of the day!” Mara gave his arm a reassuring pat.

Jaal dropped his arms to his sides, slightly deflated. “But… I still hate it there.” 

“I’ll stay on the ship with you,” Peebee said silkily, coming up behind Jaal. Jaal and Mara turned to look at her… and Mara had to stop herself from laughing in surprise at the open, friendly, and frankly sexual look on small asari’s face. She cocked her head at Jaal. “Maybe you can teach me an angaran game.” 

Jaal gazed at her speculatively, then chuckled deep in his throat. “Yes - perhaps that would be best. If we stay together, I won’t have this… fear of missing out.” He nodded a friendly farewell to Mara, gallantly offered his arm to Peebee, and the two squadmates headed towards the engineering lab... where Jaal spent his nights.

Right before the door of the lab closed, Peebee glanced over her shoulder at Mara and mouthed ‘good luck!’. Mara grinned back and mouthed: ‘you too!’ _I thought there was something brewing there, with all that banter in the Nomad! Love - or something like it - is certainly in the air..._ With that optimistic thought, Mara turned and skipped off towards the bridge.

*********** 

Mara stepped into the foyer of the Outcasts HQ and experienced literally no surprise at all to find that Reyes wasn’t there. _Might as well see if I can go in and get myself a drink,_ she thought, approaching the guard who was playing bouncer for the evening. 

“Hold up,” he said officiously, “This is a private event.” Mara nodded respectfully and replied, “I’m meeting a friend.” 

The guard didn’t even bother to look at her. “Not without an invite.”

“She’s with me.” Reyes’ rich, tantalizing voice floated over from behind her, and then his warm hand was firmly on her lower back, causing a shiver to run up her spine. He gazed challengingly at the guard. “Reyes Vidal.”

Still without looking at either of them - _sheesh, someone needs to prove something_ , Mara thought - the guard checked the list and then nodded towards the party. “Go on in.” 

Reyes gently ushered her forward with a gentle pressure at her back. As they walked towards the door, he gently drew her closer, sliding his arm from her back to proprietarily around her hip. And all the while, neither of them had looked at each other or even spoken a greeting. They almost didn’t need to: the buzz of electric heat and complicity between them was stronger than ever tonight, so strong that Mara felt a strange combination of supremely confident and shy at the same time. The fact that this was a date - an official social outing with the potential intent of romance - had brought their thus-far unspoken connection to a head, and Mara felt both terror and elation at the thought that _anything_ could happen tonight. 

As they entered the main room, where the celebration was in full height, a tall, graceful angaran woman turned and smiled at Reyes. Mara couldn’t help but notice that this was easily the most beautiful angaran woman she had ever seen. It wasn’t just that she was attractive; she had a confidence, a graceful way of carrying herself that reminded Mara of an ancient Terran actress named Cate Blanchett. The beautiful angaran woman approached them, her hips undulating sensually as she walked. “Reyes Vidal,” she said, her voice relaxed and mellifluous. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.” Her smile broadened into something teasing - _clearly an inside joke,_ Mara thought to herself, not at all jealous, but rather entranced by this confident, lovely woman. 

Reyes rolled his eyes at the woman. “Remember what I said about ‘fashionably late’?” he retorted, removing his arm from around Mara. 

“Shh!” the angaran woman said briskly, “introduce me to your companion.” With growing interest, Mara noted that the interactive style between Reyes and this woman was very familiar to her… in fact, it reminded her of herself and Scott. _Who is this woman?_ Mara thought in fascination. 

“Pathfinder,” Reyes said formally, “Meet Keema Dohrgun: the angaran representative to Sloane, and… a friend.” Reyes and Keema smiled fondly at one another, and Mara’s heart melted a little. _Hidden depths - always hidden depths!_ Still, she couldn’t resist a dig. “I didn’t think Reyes had friends - only contacts and colleagues,” she remarked, tossing Reyes a teasing glance of her own. He responded with a mock sad face, pouting his lips slightly, making her grin. 

“Oh, I’m those as well,” Keema smoothly replied. “Who do you think secured him an invitation to this event? I was hoping he’d bring you, Pathfinder,” she added, her voice becoming teasing in an affectionate way that, to Mara as an older sister, was so familiar. “You’re all he talks about lately.” 

Mara looked at Reyes with some surprise, and found him looking distinctly embarrassed. “Oh, really?” she said flirtatiously, unable to resist joining in with Keema’s infectious teasing tone. _But really… does he talk about me?_ she wondered.

Reyes rubbed his nose and shot a quick glare at Keema, who looked utterly unfazed. “Sorry to cut this short, but I need to take care of something,” he said to Mara and Keema. Mara couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed - she had thought this was a date, after all! “Abandoning me already?” she said, hiding her hint of real hurt with a mock-pout of her own. 

“It won’t take long,” Reyes assured her. “There are important players here tonight,” he added, his expression earnest but businesslike. _Ugh, business… how boring!_ Mara thought. “You should mingle… make a good impression.” He nodded encouragingly towards the room. 

With growing disappointment, Mara wondered whether this was just business after all. _Should I have expected anything else? After all, everything we’ve done together has been business of some kind or another. I guess I just thought…_ Mara, feeling a bit stupid for her expectations, resorted to sarcasm to hide her hurt feelings. She rocked back on her hip, putting a bit of space between herself and Reyes, and folded her arms. “You treat all your dates this way, or am I special?” 

Reyes’ eyes softened and warmed, and - to her surprise and confusion - he lifted his hand to her neck, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb in a very tender gesture. “I’ll make it up to you,” he said. “Promise.” With that, he turned on his heel and exited the room. 

“Aaand there he goes,” Keema drawled with amusement, as she and Mara watched him leave. “Any idea what he’s up to?” asked Mara in resignation, looking up at Keema. Keema smiled and shook her head with indulgent fondness. “It’s… better not to worry about what Reyes does. Enjoy the party,” she said warmly, then sauntered away. 

Mara sighed internally; in truth, she hated parties. There was a direct inverse relationship between her ability to make conversation and the number of people in a room: the more people there were, the more she clammed up, especially when she didn’t know anyone. She looked around the room, her annoyance with Reyes growing. _If I’d known this was going to happen, I would have just stayed home,_ she thought acidly, as she drifted slowly towards a lone turian standing in the corner, looking as dejected as she felt. Then Mara wondered whether that was true. _Would I really have resisted a chance to see Reyes? Gosh, am I that pathetic?_ Before her thoughts could turn any more maudlin, Mara struck up a conversation with the dejected turian. _Might as well try and make the best of this…_

**********

Thirty minutes and three drinks later (the last one having knocked her on her ass - Umi wasn’t kidding when she said that ryncol and angaran wine would be an ‘experiment’ for humans!), Reyes still hadn’t reappeared. Mara, now buzzed and feeling much more affable towards everyone, wondered vaguely where he could be. She had tried to call him, but he wasn’t picking up. She looked around the room and her eyes fell on Keema, standing alone near the door with a drink in her hand, watching the occupants of the room with a quiet intensity that belied the polite smile on her lips. Ryder’s Pathfinder senses suddenly wondered if there was more to Keema than met the eye. _Is she really just Sloane’s angaran representative? Considering how little Sloane respects the angara, being her ‘representative’ would just be a boot-licking job… and somehow, I can’t imagine Keema being down for that._ Curious to know not just about Keema’s position with Sloane, but also about her relationship with Reyes, Mara approached her. 

“Good to see you again, Pathfinder,” Keema said with genuine warmth, her smile reaching her eyes and wiping away the neutral cunning that had been there when Keema was scanning the room. Mara smiled, then launched right into it. “How did you meet Reyes?” she asked. Keema’s smile broadened and her eyes flashed with satisfaction. _I wonder why?_ Mara thought. “I met him the only way anyone meets Reyes Vidal - through business. His skills are very valuable in Kadara Port,” Keema replied. 

_Hmm, figures as much,_ Mara thought. “What’s it mean to be an angaran representative to Sloane?” Mara asked, curious about what a local angara thought of Sloane. Mara certainly had her own opinions, but she also felt that it was the angara’s opinions that should count the most; Sloane and all the other humans here were interlopers, after all. Keema’s tone cooled slightly at the mention of Sloane. “Sloane relies on me to provide an angaran perspective,” Keema said, her tone of voice very bland… and like Reyes’, betraying an underlying scorn of Sloane. Hoping her next question wouldn’t be rude, Mara then asked: “Does she actually listen to you?” 

To Mara’s surprise, Keema’s eyes suddenly twinkled with warmth, and Mara began to get the distinct feeling that Keema was… assessing or evaluating her in some way. _Hopefully I’m passing the test?_ Mara thought. “Only in extreme cases,” Keema answered, her voice still neutral. “She makes a show of being pro-angaran, but her priority is the Outcasts.” Keema shrugged gracefully. “She throws these parties to mollify my people. It won’t work forever.” 

_Interesting…_ Mara thought. Keema worked for Sloane, but clearly didn’t agree with Sloane in all things. _She might be another very useful contact when it comes to dealing with Sloane, when we start thinking more seriously about an outpost here. I wonder if she and Reyes could be convinced to strategize with me about dealing with Sloane?_ Very privately, Mara sometimes thought that the easiest way to deal with Sloane would be an assassin. _Easy, but with huge potential for long-reaching consequence,_ she reminded herself for the millionth time. After all, if a Pathfinder was allowed to fall on dirty tactics, it would only be a downward spiral until everyone - with more power and less pure intentions - thought they could do the same. 

Mara mentally shook herself back into the moment and smiled at Keema, who was still regarding her with a warm approval. She continued to chat with Keema for another ten minutes, her liking of the intelligent angaran increasing with every moment. 

Finally, Mara sighed and glanced around the room again. Unbelievably, it had been an hour and Reyes still hadn’t shown up. “By any chance, have you seen Reyes?” Mara asked, starting to feel exasperated. _If I wasn’t half-drunk, I’d probably be more pissed,_ she realized. Keema’s small smile grew into a grin. “No, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” she said, her tone amused. She then paused and looked at Mara contemplatively, until Mara frowned askance at her. Keema shook her head slightly, as though amused by something, then blurted out: “He likes you.” 

Mara’s heart jumped then started beating more rapidly. _Reyes really was talking to her about me, then? I guess this shouldn’t be a total surprise - we flirt like crazy. But he can be so cagey sometimes. And he’s left me alone here for an hour now…_ Hesitantly, Mara said, “I’ve… gotten that impression.” Keema grinned, appearing highly entertained. “And he thinks he’s so subtle,” she laughed. Mara smiled uncertainly, feeling both reassured and disconcerted. “Well… I guess I’ll go look for him. It was nice talking to you, Keema,” Ryder said, offering her arm in an angaran handshake. Surprised and pleased by the gesture, Keema returned the handshake. “Likewise, Pathfinder.”

Mara wandered towards the door vaguely. “SAM, any idea where he could be?”

“Mr. Vidal has still not answered my comms, Pathfinder. However, I can sense a signal coming from a storage room around the corner,” SAM replied. Mara shrugged. “Okay, let’s go have a look.”

Mara exited the main room, noticing that the bouncer/guard was no longer there. She followed SAM’s navpoint for a moment… then heard a quiet shuffling and a muffled, Spanish-accented curse from the aforementioned open storage room. _Finally!_ she thought, exasperation warring with relief when she poked her head into the room to see Reyes, crouched on the floor next to a storage crate, scowling as he peered at something at the bottom of the crate. 

“Dammit - why can’t the serial numbers be on the same spot?” he muttered, apparently not realizing that she was there. _Oh man, you have to be kidding,_ Mara thought in amused disbelief. _Even at a party, this guy cannot stop smuggling shit._ She put her hands on her hips, then imitated his voice. “‘Take the night off, come out for a drink.’ Should have known you’d be up to something,” she drawled, dropping her arms to her sides and stepping into the room. 

Startled, Reyes stood up straight and almost tripped on another crate behind him. “Ryder! It - it’s not what it looks like,” he stammered, looking absolutely red-handed with guilt. Mara raised her eyebrows skeptically. “So you didn’t use me as a distraction to go through Sloane’s stuff?” she asked coolly, folding her arms. 

Reyes looked at her cautiously. When he saw that she actually wasn’t mad - _weirdly enough, I’m really not - I’m just glad he didn’t totally ditch me!_ Mara thought - he smiled ruefully. “Okay, yes. But it’s for both our benefit. I promise-”

Mara interrupted him, stepping closer. “You’ve been making a lot of promises.” The drinks she’d had, combined with her high anticipation from earlier in the evening, and Keema’s words ringing in her ears - _He likes you… He thinks he’s so subtle..._ \- conspired to make her want him more than ever. She stepped closer to him still, preparing to tell him to make good on all his promises, when he suddenly stepped closer to her and looked over her shoulder sharply, abruptly on high alert. “Shit,” he said, some real panic touching his face as he grabbed her arm. “Someone’s coming! We need a distraction-” 

He was standing right in her personal space, her breasts brushing his chest, one of his feet between hers. The seductive smell of his skin - gunpowder, soap, and something warm and uniquely Reyes - wafted over her as he looked over her shoulder. His face was an inch from hers. Mara didn’t waste another second: she grabbed his collar with both hands, pulled him to face her, and kissed him. 

Reyes responded instantly, the hand on her arm moving up to cradle her neck, his other hand sliding around her waist and pulling her tightly against him until they were pressed close, from chest to pelvis. Mara’s body sizzled into life, her heart rate ramping up and her breath catching in her throat as Reyes kissed her back with enormous enthusiasm. He gently nipped her lower lip, then returned to kiss her firmly, his thumb stroking her cheek as he had done earlier that evening. Mara felt giddy, desperate with desire. With one hand still on his collar, holding him close, she slid her left hand down his chest and towards his belly, feeling gratified when he gave tiny gasp of desire. She slid her left arm around his waist, pressing herself tightly against him, thrilling at the feel of his hardness against her groin. Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she realized that this kiss - this passionate, intense kiss - was the start of something huge. Whether she liked it or not, for better or for worse, she was hopelessly infatuated with Reyes Vidal - this dangerous, warm, intense, flirtatious smuggler - and there was nothing she could do about it. _Nothing to do but enjoy the hell out of this moment…_

********

Reyes kissed Mara deeply, suckling gently on her full lower lip, sliding his hot tongue into her mouth as she purred with pleasure. The moment she had kissed him, he had felt a wave of emotion crash over him at her implicit acceptance of him. Oh, Reyes knew that sometimes a kiss was just a kiss; he had been the giver of many empty kisses, after all - but with Mara, it was different. _Everything about her is different… I knew it from the second I laid eyes on her._

Reyes had actually felt quite anxious at the start of the evening. He knew that there had been potential for their casual flirtation to move forward in some way, but ever since the Zia incident, he had had these bouts of major uncertainty, of fear that she would suddenly decide she wanted nothing to do with him. When he had seen her waiting for him at the door of the Outcast HQ, and she hadn’t shirked away at his hand on her back, he had known that their uncanny connection was as strong as ever - _Hell, the air was almost electric with it. I was half expecting Umi to yell at us again,_ he thought to himself. He had half-hoped an opportunity to share his feelings would come up, but he honestly hadn’t been sure how to go about it, since, as Keema would say, he was ‘emotionally constipated’. He had never liked any other women enough to tell them any sweet words of affection, and he had never even told his parents that he loved them. But looking at Mara, talking to Mara, and now, the sweet bliss of kissing Mara… Reyes felt like the pressure of keeping his feelings to himself, of trying to pretend he wasn’t… in _love_ with Mara Ryder… was going to make him explode. 

And still, he was scared; he was scared that when, or if, she knew the whole story, she would leave him. So he used this kiss to tell her how he felt. He poured his feelings into his kiss, his lips sliding over hers heatedly, pulling her tightly against him to show her that he wanted her close to him all the time, stroking her neck tenderly with a love he couldn’t verbalize. 

His cock surged with lust as Mara’s left hand began to slide slowly towards his belt. He gasped involuntarily, breaking the kiss briefly to look into her eyes. She was gazing at him, her jade eyes dark with lust, a mischievous smirk on her face. He grinned back, his chest swelling with emotion even as his body was strung tight with desire. He kissed Mara again, hard, his tongue tangling with hers as his hand on her waist slid down to cup the firm roundness of her ass. Mara responded by moaning gently and sliding her hip against his crotch, angled so that one of his thighs was between her legs. The round firmness of her hip against his cock drove him to distraction, as did her tiny gasp when he pressed his thigh gently against her groin. 

“Oh!” A surprised and embarrassed voice floated into his consciousness, only slightly distracting him from the feel of Mara’s rounded breasts pressing against his chest. There was a loud throat-clear, and then a sheepish “sorry…” from the Outcast guard. He was only faintly aware of the guard’s retreating steps, too occupied by the heat of Mara’s groin as she gently, slowly ground herself against his thigh between her legs. 

After what could have been an hour but was probably more like 3 minutes, Reyes took a deep breath and slowly, reluctantly pulled away from Mara. He gazed at her face, her eyes languidly half-closed, her lips plump and red from his kisses, her cheeks flushed with lust. _I could stare at this woman’s face every day for the rest of my life and die a happy man,_ he thought to himself suddenly. Mara slowly opened her eyes, still dreamy with desire. He smiled at her, unable to hide his happiness. “I think we’re in the clear,” he said, his voice rough with lust. 

The devilish woman smiled up at him slowly, her eyes burning with heat and laughter. “Maybe another kiss?” she purred, shifting her hip against his cock. “Just to be sure?”

_Sweet Christ, where has this woman been all my life?_ He laughed huskily, unable to resist pressing his cock firmly against her, making her lips part as she inhaled deeply, her eyelids fluttering with arousal. “Now you’re just teasing me,” he purred, enjoying the irony of the fact that they were obviously both teasing each other. With great reluctance, he finally pulled away, trying to re-engage his brain with the reason he was in this damned storage room in the first place. He took a step back from Mara, smiling affectionately at her as she leaned against a crate and gave an uncharacteristic giggle.

He turned away from her and hopped onto a crate, fumbling his hand at the back of a high shelf until - finally! - he found what he had been searching for. “Here it is!” he announced, holding the bottle up triumphantly before hopping back down to the floor. 

Mara stared at him in disbelief, one hand on her luscious hip. “That’s what this was all about? Whiskey??” 

He looked at her with mock hurt and patted the bottle affectionately. “The only bottle of Mount Milgram in Andromeda. Triple-distilled and 645 years old. This isn’t whiskey - it’s treasure!”

Mara shook her head indulgently, one eyebrow raised. “I hope you’re planning on sharing.” 

Reyes chuckled and resisted the urge to kiss her again. “We’ll see. Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand, “Let’s get out of here.” She smiled at him, her face open and trusting, making his heart swell with adoration, and together they fled the Outcast HQ. 

*********  
Reyes swung his legs idly and leaned his weight back on one hand, feeling happier than he had in a long time. He and Mara were seated on the rooftop of Kralla’s Song, overlooking the port. _Fine whiskey, an exquisite sunset, and the finest, most exquisite woman I’ve ever known, all in one place... This is going down as one of my best moments in this galaxy,_ he thought to himself, feeling deeply contented. 

He glanced at Mara’s profile out of the corner of his eye. They were sitting at a right-angle to each other, Mara facing west, Reyes facing south. Mara took a dainty sip from the whiskey bottle, a tiny smile playing over her lips, her face soft and relaxed. He gazed at her for a moment longer, then sighed happily. “Gorgeous, isn’t it? I sometimes forget.” He turned his head to face her fully. “Is Andromeda everything you hoped it would be?”

Mara’s smile widened and she leaned her left shoulder companionably against his right. “Every day is an adventure.” She turned her head slightly and smiled at him. “Even my nights off are interesting.” She passed the whiskey bottle to Reyes, her shoulder pressing more firmly into his. “What about you? Why did you come here, Reyes?”

Reyes turned from her to gaze back over the southern-facing sky, the dark purples of the upper sky blending into violet and burnt orange towards the horizon. _Such a complicated question,_ he thought. Like many Milky Way expats, he had come to Andromeda seeking adventure and discovery; but it had also been easy for him to leave the Milky Way because he had no one there to miss. His parents, a successful artist and an architect who had never left Catalonia, had never really wanted children. And though they had never been explicitly abusive, their indifference had extended from his childhood up to the day he had boarded the Nexus. He had never made friends easily, being more quiet and watchful than the average child; and as a pilot-in-training in the Alliance, he had developed his easygoing, charming facade to hide the fact that he trusted no one. His hidden secretiveness and watchfulness had ended up being an asset in multiple top-secret Alliance missions, but had meant that by the time he left the Milky Way, not a single person - not even his parents - had contacted him to say goodbye. 

Reyes had never really thought much about his own history, partly because it was too painful, and - despite everything - Reyes usually thought of himself as a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of guy. But he knew his history was a huge part of what had shaped him into becoming the Charlatan. It certainly had a lot to do with his risky decision, about a year ago, to help an emaciated, orphaned, but defiant angara named Keema, who had been a complete stranger to him, but who had reminded him so much of himself. Mara had no idea how huge the answer to her casual question really was. Reyes took a swig from the whiskey bottle, thinking about her question. _Why had he come to Andromeda?_ Then finally, he replied, boiling the answer down to its essentials: “To be someone.” 

He continued to gaze over the horizon, a lump of sadness rising in his throat. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Mara shifted, turning to sit beside him, her thigh and shoulder pressing comfortably against his. She looked at his profile, her beautiful face guileless and open, her eyes tender. “You’re someone to me,” she murmured, her voice husky. 

Reyes kept his eyes fixed on the distance, a sudden burn of tears at the back of his eyes, and swallowed the lump in his throat with effort. _She can’t know how much it means for me to hear her say that._ Finally, he turned to face her, smiling tenderly as he cupped her cheek gently in his hand. “I’m starting to think that kiss was more than just a distraction,” he whispered, before leaning in slowly and gently, lovingly, pressing his lips to hers. 

This time, their kiss was slow, tender, and affectionate. Reyes savoured the feel of her full lips pressing against his, her warm, citrusy scent making him dizzy, his chest swelling with emotion as her hand came up to cradle his neck. _Everything I’ve been and done is worth it for this moment with this woman,_ he thought to himself, putting the whiskey bottle aside to wrap his arms around Mara’s waist. _Anything that happens… will be worth it too. I just hope she feels the same._ Then Reyes Vidal stopped thinking, and simply savoured the feeling of his Pathfinder’s affection, as the sky darkened from blackberry to deep black, sprinkled with the sparkle of Andromeda’s stars.


	9. A time to strike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Reyes Vidal and Mara Ryder's crazily intimate night on the town, Reyes makes a blunder that drives a wedge between himself and Mara... and hears some news he's been waiting for. Will he be able to fix things between himself and Ryder before shit hits the fan?

_I’m starting to think that kiss was more than just a distraction…_

Mara awoke slowly the morning after the party, her mind languid and relaxed, her dreams heavy with the sound of Reyes’ voice and the heat of his mouth on hers. She stretched her arms, opened her eyes… and shrieked with alarm at the sight of Peebee’s huge hazel eyes right beside her face. Peebee was seated on the floor next to Mara’s head, staring at her. At Mara’s shriek, Peebee burst into peals of laughter, and the door to Mara’s quarters slid open to reveal Cora and Vetra. “Jesus, Peebee!” Mara groaned, punching her erstwhile asari friend in the shoulder, still bent double with hilarity. 

Cora and Vetra entered with much more decorum. “I didn’t think it was appropriate to wake you up, but Peebee is irrepressible,” Cora said, with no real heat as she sat at the foot of Ryder’s bed, a tiny amused smile on her face. “Incorrigible,” added Vetra in a pretend long-suffering tone, her hands on her hips as she stood at the foot of the bed. “Irreplaceable!” Peebee wheezed, finally standing up and seating herself beside Mara on the bed. “So!” the small asari said, “Tell us about the paaaaarty…” She poked Mara in the shoulder playfully. 

Mara gave her a knowing look. “Only if you tell us all about you and Jaal,” she retorted, satisfied when Cora and Vetra whipped around to look at Peebee in surprise. Peebee lifted her chin, her face a picture of dignity. “A lady never tells,” she said primly, then grinned wickedly. “Which is why Ryder’s gonna tell us everything.” Mara scoffed and shoved Peebee off the bed, unable to stop herself from smiling at the memories of last night. Vetra whistled. “It was that good, eh?” she said with interest. 

_You have no idea,_ Mara thought, remembering the evening. Two makeout sessions - one searingly sexual, one tender and affectionate - and Mara was a goner, terrified and elated at the certainty that she was in love with Reyes Vidal. More important than the kisses they had shared, she and Reyes had _talked_. She had told him about her Prothean work in the Milky Way, her parents, and Scott, still in a medically induced coma. Reyes had listened with sympathy and interest, and disclosed that he was a single child with distant parents, and had told her a bit about his quietly successful career in the Alliance. He had also told her that Keema was without family - a torturous thing for an angara to be. In Mara’s mind, this information, in combination with Reyes’ socially isolated background, explained how he and Keema were as close as siblings. Oh, Mara knew that he still hadn’t told her everything: his upbringing still didn’t fully explain the side of him that was a cold, calculating, dangerous killer. But his description of isolation, and the forcedly detached manner in which he had described his childhood to her, certainly filled a big gap in her understanding of who he was. 

“Honestly, guys, there’s only so much I can tell you,” she told her friends, tucking her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. “His story isn’t mine to share. But… yes, okay, we kissed.” She rolled her eyes in amusement as Peebee whooped, flopping back down on the bed. “And it was… really good.” Mara blushed, a huge, goofy grin spreading over her face. 

“Oh my god,” Cora said, “You’re in love with him. You are, aren’t you!” Her voice was happy, but her eyebrows were contracted with worry. Mara knew that because of Reyes’ less-than-lily white profession, Cora would probably always be worried about her relationship with Reyes, no matter what happened. _And that’s okay,_ Mara realized. _With someone who has as many layers as Reyes, it’s probably good for my girl to have my back._ Mara neither confirmed nor denied, but reached over and squeezed Cora’s hand affectionately. 

“Damn, the Pathfinder in love,” Vetra marvelled. “We should tell Keri T’Vessa. She could do an exclusive special episode on your relationship. ‘Path of a Hero in Love,’ she’ll call it.” She and Peebee cackled at the idea. 

Mara laughed as well. “No way!” she exclaimed. “Honestly guys, please, I don’t really want to get into it yet. It’s… we haven’t talked about… ‘us’ or whatever. It was only our first date.” She looked sternly at her friends, their faces varying from gleeful to worried to fond and sisterly. “I don’t want to jinx it.”

Peebee was the first to give in. “All right, all right, we’ll cut you some slack,” she chirped, bouncing off the bed and towards the door with Cora in tow. “Anyway, this is boring - there’s a whole galaxy of Remtech out there, for goodness’ sake! And you _still_ haven’t gotten that piece of tech for me on Voeld…” 

Vetra groaned. “Ugh, Voeld again? I’m so sick of the cold… can’t we stay on Kadara a little longer?” Suddenly remembering something, Vetra looked at Mara, her face snapping into business mode. “Actually, Ryder, there is something on Kadara. One of my old contacts mentioned a settlement of angara, all dead, out in the northern badlands. We should check it out.”

Mara frowned, pushing back her blankets, her mind pulled back to business. “That sounds worrisome. Let’s get on that right away.” Privately, she felt a thrill of excitement at the excuse to pass by Tartarus and see Reyes again. _Maybe we’ll have a chance to clarify things between us…_

**********

Reyes was intensely busy today. He sat in his ‘office’ in Tartarus, frowning as he flicked through his messages and delegated tasks: there was new influx of credits from hacking Outcast fortunes, which needed to be laundered to some of the more ‘legitimate’ traders on Kadara; a shipment of salvage and stolen weapons from Valeria on Elaaden, which needed to be securely transported to the base in Draullir; and a load of Remtech that his agents had stolen from some cocky asari exile leader, which Reyes earmarked to send to the Tempest for Mara’s crewmate Peebee.

Suddenly, a call from Kian downstairs. “Pathfinder’s on her way up,” Kian said distractedly; in the background, Reyes could hear the sound of drinks being poured busily, despite the early hour. Kian rang off abruptly, and Reyes’ stomach contracted in anticipation and a little anxiety. He’d never spent such an intimate night with a woman, never shared that much of himself… and his balls were still hurting a bit from how horny he was for the intensely sexual vixen that was Mara Ryder. But since he’d never felt this way before or had such an intimate ‘date’, he wasn’t sure what to do the night after. Was it normal to revert back to their usual flirtatious banter? Reyes realized with some panic that he literally didn’t know what to say to the woman he was in love with. 

Suddenly she was there, flanked today by Vetra and Liam. Despite his mild panic, he couldn't stop from smiling unguardedly, his eyes lighting up as they landed on her, dressed in full armour... _my consummate badass Pathfinder._ “Thanks for being my plus one,” he greeted her. He lowered his voice to an intimate purr. “I had a great time.” _I had the time of my life,_ he added silently, too reserved to say so out loud with her squadmates in tow. 

She smiled back, her eyes radiating warmth and a secret complicity, that damn electric charge between them sparking as strongly as ever. “Me too,” she said, her tone gentle. 

Reyes gazed into her eyes, the air between them heavy with significance. “Been awhile since I had a partner in crime,” he said cheekily, wishing he could say something meaningful, something real, to convey his real feelings for her: his gratitude for just listening to him, his adoration of her spirit and her toughness, and of course, his unfailing, intense desire to fuck her. 

She smiled cheekily back, then finally broke eye contact, looking at her feet and shifting slightly awkwardly. At that movement, Vetra glanced at Liam and nodded towards the door, then headed out towards the main club. Liam, despite looking confused, followed Vetra out. Mara then looked up at Reyes again. “So… we kissed.” 

Reyes almost laughed at her awkward, blunt delivery. “I remember,” he said, canting his head down to look at her with a darkly sexual heat. 

“Shouldn’t we… talk about it?” Mara said, shifting her weight again, looking ever more awkward. 

Reyes heart burst with tenderness, chasing away some of his anxiety. _Might she be feeling as vulnerable as I am?_ he thought. He wasn’t used to seeing her look awkward, especially given how confident she usually was: in combat, in negotiations, and with her sexuality. All he wanted was to wrap her in his arms and make her feel comfortable again. _Flirting with her usually makes her comfortable - and what’s easier for me to do than flirt with this gorgeous creature?_ He chuckled, settling back on the couch, and tilted his head up at her. “I’d rather keep you guessing.” 

To his surprise and dismay, Mara frowned suddenly. It was a tiny frown, and present for only an instant; then, when she raised her eyes again, her face was blankly professional. “Have you heard anything about a settlement of dead angara out in the northern badlands?” she asked. 

_Fuck it,_ Reyes thought in dismay. _Emotionally constipated Reyes gets it wrong again._ He suddenly realized what his words sounded like, especially after the intimacy - emotional and physical - that they’d shared last night. _Now she’ll think I’m just screwing her around! I’m an idiot..._ Keema was going to have a field day with this. _But she’s going to kick my ass first. And I’ll deserve it._ He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to fix his idiotic blunder, but Mara’s face was utterly professional, blank… and cold. He inwardly sighed. _Stupid, stupid idiot. Have to fix this somehow, but… she’s in Pathfinder mode now._ Reyes answered her questions, telling her everything he knew, but continued trying to catch her eye, to reassure her that - contrary to what came out of his stupid mouth (so much for good with words!) - he wanted more of what had happened last night, preferably forever.

To Reyes’ frustration and dismay, Mara avoided his eyes for the rest of their conversation, then left the room with a stiff wave. Once the door slid shut behind her, Reyes slumped on the couch, dejected. _Auuuugh… what the hell, brain? What was I even thinking?_ Thanks to his stupidity, Mara probably thought she was just another fling… and he wasn’t sure how to fix this impression. _I’m in uncharted territory here,_ he thought sadly. Only one person could help him with this problem. He raised his omni-tool and called Keema.

******************

Late that night, Reyes stood at the bar in Kralla’s Song, waiting for Keema. She had promised to meet him at Kralla’s for a conciliatory drink, and for once, Reyes was early. He had tried to relax in his quarters in the Port after finishing his day’s work, but had felt too restless and upset, sitting alone with his thoughts in his apartment - hence his being at Kralla’s about an hour before Keema was due to show up. 

Keema had chewed him out at length that morning when he’d called her, and her advice had boiled down to two things: 1) Tell Mara that he was a complete idiot with no idea how to deal with feelings, and that he was going into angaran emotional boot camp with Keema as soon as possible; and 2) tell Mara everything, and Keema meant _everything_. Umi poured him a third whiskey without even looking at him; maudlin-looking men were a dime a dozen at Kralla’s and not particularly worthy of Umi’s attention. He wordlessly nodded his thanks and downed the drink. 

“Hey - Vidal!” 

Surprised, Reyes turned to see Liam approaching him. “Liam,” Reyes acknowledged, nodding politely to Mara’s crewmate. _What’s his problem?_ Reyes wondered, taking in Liam’s angry face and clenched fists. 

Funnily enough, Liam had the same question. “What’s your problem, Vidal?” Liam demanded, getting up in Reyes’ face, his chest puffed with aggression. Reyes tried to back up slightly, but Liam stayed in his face, the younger man’s entire demeanour bristling with hostility. Reyes purposely kept his voice calm and quiet, despite his hackles starting to rise. _Have to keep cool, no matter what this peacock does,_ Reyes thought, holding his hands open and slightly raised. _He’s Mara’s squadmate… and whoever Mara rolls with is under my protection, whether they know it or not._ “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Reyes said in total honesty. 

“You say something to the Pathfinder? You dicking her around?” demanded Liam, so close to Reyes’ face that Reyes could smell the beer on his breath. “She talks to you for 2 minutes, and she’s _pissed_. Never seen her so cold and detached. She smoked a whole camp of exiles without blinking an eye…” Liam’s tone betrayed a note of admiration, which Reyes also couldn’t help but feel. _That's my girl… killing criminals and taking names._ Then Liam scowled at Reyes again. “It was vicious, man. Not her usual thing at all. She kills when she has to, but never like that.” Liam shoved Reyes in the chest with one hand. “What did you say to her?”

Speechless, more at the thought of Mara going even slightly rogue than at the shove, Reyes rocked back slightly. Liam moved in again, both hands raised to shove him a second time. Without even thinking about it, quick as lightning, Reyes raised his arms between Liam’s, pushed Liam’s arms to the sides, lowered his head, and butted Liam full in the face. 

Liam fell back on his ass, to the raucous laughter of a group of angara at the table nearby. “Oh fuck,” Reyes blurted, dropping to his knees beside Liam. During his time with the Alliance, Reyes had joined an underground fight club where he’d learned a dirty style of combat that mixed human and krogan combat styles… and he’d become very good at it, unfortunately for Liam. “Umi, some ice?... Fuck, I know, I know, you don’t have any. Liam, I’m sorry…” Despite the horrendous situation, Reyes had to fight back his laughter as he hauled Liam up, Liam’s nose bleeding freely, and helped him to a seat at nearby table. 

“Fuck man, that was so unnecessary,” groaned Liam, his anger burnt out with the surprise and pain of his wounded nose. “I know,” Reyes said apologetically. “I’m genuinely sorry. It was second nature… I… there was this fight club in the Alliance… I didn’t mean to.” Reyes waved to a nearby turian waitress, who nodded acknowledgement. “Liam, it was an accident, I swear. I don’t know why I did that. I don’t know… what I did.” Reyes realized then that he wasn't just talking about Liam’s nose anymore. He actually wanted the younger man’s opinion on what to do about Mara, even though it was absolutely none of Liam’s business. _Actually, Mara would probably be really pissed if knew he was here trying to ‘defend her honour’,_ Reyes thought. Furthermore, Liam’s opinion was probably the worst one to ask, given that Liam was obviously carrying a torch for the Pathfinder. Despite all of this, Reyes felt he had to get even a little bit of his distress off his chest… and Keema wasn’t due for another 45 minutes. 

“Everything ok, kid?” Suddenly Drack was there, his huge imposing frame looming over them, his eyes flat and watchful. _Oh double fuck,_ Reyes thought, _Just the last person I need to piss off._ Reyes opened his mouth to try to smooth things over, but to his surprise, Liam piped up. “We’re all good, Drack. Total misunderstanding. Come have a seat, old man?” Liam shuffled over, making room for Drack at the table… and to his nonplussed amusement, Reyes found himself sitting with Liam and Drack, the two most unexpected drinking companions he could imagine. 

Liam was looking at Reyes, the resentment in his face fading as he gingerly dabbed his nose on his sleeve. Fortunately, the stream of blood was starting to slow. “You really don’t know what you did to piss her off?” he asked. Drack sighed with boredom when he realized the topic of conversation. Reyes smirked - _we must seem like a pair of toddlers fighting over a biscuit to him!_ \- and shook his head ruefully at Liam. “I know what I said. I just don’t know why I said it. You know, they call me Shena, but my mouth… it ran away with me this time.” Reyes shrugged, feigning casualness. The turian waitress drifted over to their table, but before Reyes could order, Drack spoke up. “Two bottles of ryncol.” Reyes looked at Drack in surprise, then amusement at Drack jerked a thumb at him. “And put it on this kid’s tab.” Reyes looked up at the waitress and nodded agreement, thinking that he probably deserved it to pick up the cheque at the very least.

The three men sat in companionable silence for a moment, Liam checking his nose occasionally, Drack looking around the bar with a combination of boredom and watchfulness, and Reyes observing Mara’s two squadmates with curiosity. Liam caught Reyes looking at him, and the two younger men suddenly sniggered at the ridiculousness of the situation. The bottles of ryncol arrived, and Drack poured generous measures for the two humans before downing the rest of the first bottle in two gulps. Reyes and Liam clanked their cups together wordlessly before downing their drinks. 

Reyes swallowed and then gasped, the ryncol burning his throat and esophagus painfully, but chasing away some of his tension. “Fuck!” Liam gasped, pounding the table. Drack laughed - a deep, rumbling, and oddly reassuring sound - before patting Liam on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it, kid. Or else your squishy liver will fail. One of the two.” 

Reyes watched them, a smile on his face, his respect and liking for the two of them growing. “So,” Liam said, glancing at Reyes. “You and the Pathfinder…?” He raised his eyebrows questioningly, then when Reyes didn’t answer right away, forged on. “Are you… like… a thing? Is it a fling or something?”

“It’s not a fling,” Reyes said immediately. He absolutely did _not_ want Mara getting the impression that that was all he thought of her. “I really… she’s… no, it’s not just a fling.” _Wow,_ Reyes thought in disgust, _I’m really living up to my codename today._ Embarrassed, he poured himself another shot of ryncol, raising his cup to Drack as Drack grunted approval. 

“Woah,” Liam said. Reyes looked askance at him. Liam raised his eyebrows at Reyes. “Man. You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” 

_Oh god,_ Reyes thought in resignation. _This is what happens when you make friends. You tell them the stuff you should be telling the actual woman you love._ Reyes then wondered vaguely whether this meant he now considered Liam and Drack to be friends. _Wait, when did that happen? I must be drunk._ Reyes put his spinning head in his hands, confusion and angst making his brain hurt. “Liam… I’m…” 

“Hold up, hold up, I don’t wanna hear it,” Liam interrupted, waving his hands emphatically, a drop of blood sliding down to his lip before he hastily wiped it away. “I just don’t wanna hear those things, you know? It’s not for my ears.” Liam shook his head, and the three men sat silently for another minute. Then Liam spoke up again, his tone tentative. “Vidal, you should know… she and I had a thing. For a little while. Just when we first shipped out. But it’s over,” he added hastily as Reyes looked up at him. “Maybe I wanted… but she’s too good for me,” he muttered, a blush just visible under his milk-chocolate complexion. He punched Reyes in the arm playfully. “She’s too good for you, too.” 

For the first time all day, Reyes laughed. He nodded in rueful agreement with Liam. “She really is.” He sipped tentatively at his glass of ryncol, already knowing that he was going to regret drinking any more. He looked up at Liam, about to change the subject, to find Liam looking at him, his face dead serious. 

“Vidal,” Liam said, the solemnity of his voice matching his face, “Don’t fuck it up.” Drack grunted, and Reyes realized with embarrassment that Drack was agreeing with Liam. 

_Everyone’s telling me not to fuck it up,_ he thought to himself sadly. _Maybe it’s time I started listening._ He sighed, then answered honestly. “I’ll try. I’m trying,” he said. “I’m… I’ll do better.” 

Liam nodded, satisfied. “If you need help telling her how you feel, I got some vids I can recommend. Some of them are pretty old - there’s this one from wayyyy back in the 1980s called When Harry Met Sally, totally old-fashioned but classic stuff.” Liam prattled on about vids, and Drack sat, half-listening, and Reyes felt something loosen in his chest as, for the first time that evening, he began to relax. 

Suddenly, he felt a buzzing over the right side of his chest. All thoughts of camaraderie were chased away as Reyes suddenly snapped to total alertness. 

Reyes had a tiny quantum entanglement device clipped to his inner shirt that his trusted circle could use to ‘page’ the Charlatan about urgent developments. Each member of his inner circle had a distinct pattern of buzzes so Reyes knew who to contact. Reyes understood vaguely that this technology was similar to an ancient form of Terran communication called a ‘pager,’ which had fallen out of fashion in the early 2000s; however, crude though it was, it worked for Reyes’ small trusted circle, particularly because it was so crude that no one would think of it. To Reyes’ panic, he recognized the pattern of buzzes as Keema’s. Casually, his face betraying none of his anxiety, he excused himself and bade Drack and Liam farewell, quickly swiped a huge tip to Umi, and left Kralla’s Song. 

Reyes walked as quickly as he could back to his quarters without drawing attention. The second the door of his quarters slid shut behind him, he was on his omni-tool, calling Keema. She responded immediately. “What is it?” he demanded. 

“We’ve got the assignment list,” she said without preamble, her voice tense with excitement. Reyes stomach clenched with sudden anticipation. The Outcasts’ assignment roster for the next two days was the last piece of intel that the Collective had needed in order to take Sloane out. Kaetus, Sloane’s turian second-in-command, made a new assignment roster every three days and encrypted it heavily with a key that changed every two days, and Reyes had had hackers working on getting access for the past month, ever since Mara had started changing things on the planet. He had an entire contingent of moles in place in the Outcast HQ, including the guard who'd been on bouncer duty the night of Sloane's party. All he had needed was to know when Kaetus would be on a solo assignment somewhere secluded… and now he knew. _It’s time,_ he thought, with a surge of adrenaline. “When?” he snapped. 

“Two days from now,” Keema replied. “Spirit’s Ledge. Some kind of kett cleanup,” she said, disgust slipping into her voice. 

Reyes chuckled darkly. “Perfect,” he said, his voice cold and confident. “Let’s get this done. Tell Robert.” 

“Done.” With that, Keema was gone, any thought of their meeting for drinks swept away with this crucial new development. 

Reyes paced the floor, his drunken buzz completely obliterated, his mind focused and charged with purpose. _This is the moment I've been waiting for for over a year,_ he thought. _Finally, the time to strike is here. Everything is ready. Two days and this will all be over, one way or another._ Reyes realized then that this applied not just to the standoff between Outcast and Collective, but also to his own internal dilemma about Mara. If all went according to plan in two days, Kadara Port would change hands in the space of hours… and Mara would know about it immediately. She would undoubtedly come to him for information… and after tonight, he was determined to give it to her. _All I can do now is pray to my lucky stars that she’ll still want me after the dust has settled…_


	10. High Noon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sloane Kelly enlists Mara Ryder's help to take down the Charlatan... but Mara finds herself conflicted in more ways than one when the Charlatan's identity is fully revealed.

> To: Mara Ryder  
>  From: Sloane Kelly  
>  Subject: (none)
> 
> I need to speak to you. Come alone.

_What the fuck?_ Mara stared at her email console, totally nonplussed, having just set foot back on the Tempest to find an email from Sloane Kelly.

Mara had been out of sorts since speaking to Reyes the day before yesterday. As a normally confident woman, comfortable in her own skin, Mara wasn't used to feeling this vulnerable; her disappointment at the idea that her feelings for Reyes weren't totally reciprocated made her feel ornery. In order to escape Kadara and thoughts of Reyes, Mara and the squad had gone to Elaaden to pursue a lead, provided by Avitus Rix, on the turian ark. 

Ultimately, the trip to Elaaden had been extremely productive and informative: they had found a huge bread crumb for the trail of Ark Natanus, and Mara also knew now that Elaaden had to be the team’s next major focus. As Drack had mentioned some time ago, trouble was brewing at the krogan colony, and only Mara’s team, with their unique mixture of species and backgrounds, were both impartial and empathetic enough to bridge the gap between the krogan and the Nexus. 

After a solid day and a half of hard work on Elaaden, Mara and the crew had returned to the Tempest, Mara feeling less angsty and more calm from the pure satisfaction of her Pathfinder work. But then she'd gotten an email from Sloane - _Sloane, of all people in the fucking galaxy!_ \- demanding to speak to her at the Outcast HQ that same day. 

Mara shoved her sweaty bangs back from her face, feeling exasperated. She didn't really mind meeting with Sloane, despite the fact that she and Sloane obviously rubbed each other the wrong way. _If she needs help with something, I can leverage it against her to force her to allow an outpost on Kadara,_ she thought, _so some good will come of it._ The truth was that she just didn't feel ready to go back to Kadara yet. The port held too many bittersweet memories of her first date with Reyes, and the whole thing still felt too raw, especially since he hadn’t tried to contact her at all since they'd last seen each other at Tartarus. 

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she had a choice: Sloane’s email sounded urgent. Mara sighed, stripping off her under-armour slowly and stepping into the hot spray of the shower. _If I’m gonna be getting my hands dirty with Sloane, I might as well be clean._ “SAM,” she called over the sound of the shower spray, “tell the team we're heading back to Kadara. Some kind of Outcast crisis.” 

****************  
Mara stepped into the Sloane’s ‘throne room’, ignoring the glowering krogan guards as usual. To Mara’s surprise, the usually busy room was empty except for Sloane, slumped imperiously in her chair. “Where is everybody?” Mara asked. 

“I told them to get out of my sight,” snapped Sloane, sitting upright and resting her elbows on her knees as she scowled at Mara. Mara raised her eyebrows, unimpressed with Sloane’s tone. _You asked me to come here, and now you’re snapping at me?_ she thought. “I take it someone pissed you off?” Mara said archly.

Sloane finally looked Mara directly in the eye, and Mara was surprised - and slightly humbled - to see a hint of distress in Sloane’s brilliant heterochromatic eyes. “The Charlatan used my own people to beat up Kaetus. He’s alive… barely.” Sloane’s voice wobbled slightly.

Mara frowned in sympathy, her customarily sharp tongue fading in the face of Sloane’s distress. She was genuinely sorry to hear of Kaetus being injured. _He seemed like an okay guy, despite being a total stick in the mud,_ she thought. “I’m sorry,” she said honestly. “I know you and Kaetus are close. I-”

“You don’t know shit,” Sloane riposted, and Mara shut her mouth, some of her sympathy fading. Sloane sighed. “I didn’t call you here for a pity party.”

Mara folded her arms. “Then why did you call me?”

Sloane looked up at Mara, her eyes burning with anger. “The Charlatan left a note on Kaetus’ body,” she gritted. “He wants to ‘settle things’ between us. Meeting spot is in Draullir.”

Mara nodded pensively. “Could be a trap.”

“You think?” Sloane said sarcastically, shifting restlessly in her seat. She sighed again. “I can’t trust my own people. But you… You’re an outsider.” Sloane eyed her with grudging respect. “And good in a fight.” 

Mara pursed her lips, uncertain. “Like you said, I’m an outsider. I’m not sure I want to get involved.” 

Sloane fixed Mara with a hard stare. “If you want an Initiative presence on Kadara, you’ll be there.” She settled back in her chair with some resignation. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but hey… shit happens, right?” Sloane sighed heavily, and Mara felt another pang of sympathy for her. “Meet me at this location.” Sloane tapped at her omni-tool, sending Mara the navpoint. “I’ll go on ahead.” 

As Mara headed down the lift to the slums, Vetra and Cora at her side, her mind raced as she considered her options. The three women had quickly discussed the situation on their way to the lift. Vetra had pointed out that if the Charlatan really was at the navpoint to meet Sloane, it seemed that - contrary to what Sloane thought - Mara had a choice: she could do as Sloane had asked - _demanded, really_ \- and support Sloane’s claim on Kadara Port… or she could throw in with the Collective. Sloane seemed supremely confident that Mara would help her, probably because Mara was the Pathfinder and Sloane obviously thought that ‘Pathfinder’ was synonymous with ‘pedantically noble’. To be fair, it was true that Mara made a conscious effort to help every person who ever asked for her help. But in Mara’s opinion, being Pathfinder was about making the best choices for the largest number of people - both Milky Way and Heleus-born - and in the case of Sloane Kelly, the best choice might not work out to be the noblest one. 

_If we’re being realistic here, Sloane and the Outcasts have not done a good job of managing affairs in Kadara._ From everything Mara had heard during her expeditions on Kadara and her info-gathering while talking to the planet’s residents, there were so many strikes against Sloane’s regime: her steadily increasing ‘protection fees’; the fact that she kept the majority of Kadara’s resources for the Outcasts; the fact that the Outcast leadership was composed of Sloane’s friends, rather than people with merit; Sloane’s refusal to allow angara to join her group (Mara didn’t know how Sloane had managed to let _that_ email show up on the public terminal in the port’s prison!); her theft of Dr. Nakamoto’s antibiotic formula in order to build a drug empire that benefitted herself and her gang, at the expense of the populace; her intractable hatred of the Initiative; and - the cherry on the sundae - the fact that Sloane’s power was premised on her elimination of the kett on Kadara, but in reality, Sloane hadn’t even done that. Just a few days ago, Mara herself had assisted Sloane and Kaetus to eliminate a pocket of kett in the badlands… and Sloane had not-so-kindly hinted that Mara should keep her mouth shut about it.

In contrast, the Collective seemed like the logical choice, with way fewer strikes against them. They didn’t do abjectly shitty things like perverting medicine into narcotics. Collective positions of power were based on merit; the angara were welcome to join; the Charlatan didn’t seem to micromanage his agents. Mara knew that some Kadarans felt the Collective’s underhanded, silent tactics of hacking, assassination and smuggling to be deceitful and dirty, but Mara personally didn’t feel that way. _Give me cunning and intelligence over brute force any day,_ she thought as she stepped out of the lift and hopped over a small puddle of electric-blue water. Really, the only drawback to the Collective - aside from the fact that they, like the Outcasts, were a criminal gang - was that nobody, including Mara, seemed to know who the Charlatan _was_. But Mara had decided some time ago that the Charlatan’s identity didn’t matter that much in a practical sense. Some people liked to follow that whole ‘better the devil you know’ adage, but Mara wasn’t one of them. _I judge people based on their actions, and Sloane’s are clearly worthy of condemnation. The Charlatan’s actions - whoever they are - are definitely less so._

Her mind was spinning with thoughts, her body charged with adrenaline; whatever was going to go down at Sloane’s navpoint was sure to be messy. As Mara headed towards the gate that led into the badlands, she couldn’t help but glance in the direction of Tartarus and wonder wistfully whether Reyes was there. Despite her hurt and her feelings of vulnerability, she still - _fuck it all!_ \- wanted to be near him, to kiss him, to feel that reassuring electric heat between them. And with all that was happening right now, she actually really just wanted to talk to him and get his take on things. She knew he didn’t like Sloane, but she suddenly realized she had never asked him directly about his opinion of the Collective or the Charlatan, aside from his telling her where the Collective base was rumoured to be. 

Suddenly Vetra spoke, as though she had read Mara’s mind: “Maybe we should ask Reyes what he thinks. I know you and he… haven’t spoken in a couple days, but he’s always been good for sharing information.” Mara looked at Vetra’s sympathetic, earnest face, and nodded seriously. “You’re right,” she replied; all three women were in complete agreement that whatever personal issues Mara had with Reyes, they were nothing compared to what was at stake here: the outcome of this altercation would decide whether the Initiative would be able to put down an outpost or not. Without another word, Mara and her squad altered course and headed into Tartarus. 

Mara stepped into Reyes’ private room in Tartarus, but for the first time ever, Reyes wasn’t there. Mara’s instinctive reaction was panic: had something happened to him? Had he somehow gotten caught in the middle of this feud between the Outcasts and the Collective, and been attacked again? He had always considered himself a neutral party, working comfortably with anyone and everyone, but the ambush that Zia had arranged meant he wasn’t as safe as he liked to think he was. But Cora had a different idea. “Ryder… could he be… involved in this?” she asked slowly, her face anxious. Mara shook her head in confusion rather than denial, still feeling panicked, but with a growing worm of suspicion in her mind. “Oh spirits,” Vetra breathed. “You don’t think…” 

Mara’s hint of suspicion exploded into full-blown hypothesis and pieces of the puzzle began to fall together. Reyes’ success as a secret operative in the Alliance… his affable, friendly public face, which allowed him to blend in without drawing attention… Keema Dohrgun, supposedly Sloane’s employee, being his best friend and closest colleague... _No. Fucking. Way. How could I have been so dense?_ “Guys, I think you’re onto something,” Mara said urgently. “Let’s get the fuck out of here and meet Sloane.”

****************

Reyes waited silently in the shadows, his casual lean against the wall belying the fact that his body was tensed for action, still and unmoving like a snake waiting to strike. On a ledge above Reyes’ head, Robert lay in wait, sniper rifle at the ready, for Sloane’s entry into the cave. This cave was one of many that Reyes and his trusted circle had mapped out when he’d first arrived on Kadara. The caves had been extremely useful as hideouts for smuggled merch, and eventually for the Collective’s base. Reyes was willing to bet that he knew these caves better than any other Milky Way expat, and likely better than some local angara, many of whom tried to avoid the ‘death caves’ of Draullir. 

The stillness of Reyes’ body contrasted with the snapping activity of his mind, attuned to every sound from the mouth of the cave as he waited for Sloane’s approach. Frankly, he was excited for this moment: everything he and Keema had been working towards for a year was about to be come to fruition. _Sloane’s hot temper makes her so predictable,_ Reyes thought idly as he gazed into the middle distance, his ears straining for any sound. Sloane would have raged about any of her little friends being attacked, but attacking her turian lover… that was the only thing guaranteed to get her so riled up that she would do something stupid. _And Sloane coming here will be the last stupid thing she ever does,_ he thought with a grim satisfaction. 

Suddenly, Reyes’ omni-tool lit up with a terse text message from Kian: “Pathfinder just left Tartarus in a rush. Said she was meeting Sloane.” 

Reyes heart rate ratcheted up and the anxiety he’d been holding at bay washed over him for a moment. For the past two days while he and his crew had prepared for this moment, he had actively pushed aside his (extremely frequent!) thoughts of Mara, refusing to acknowledge his worries about how she would react when she found out what he was about to do. But Kian’s message forced him to acknowledge his greatest fear: that his planned takedown of Sloane might be the last straw for Mara, and she may refuse to have anything to do with him after this… or worse, she might stop his plan. 

He took a deep breath through his nose, rolled his shoulders to relax them. _There’s no going back now. I had chances to tell her before… so many chances!... and I didn’t take them. Nothing I can do now but move forward and accept the fallout._ He repeated this to himself like a mantra, acknowledging the ache in his chest at the thought of Mara’s face, stilling his mind meditatively as he had learned to do as a lonely teenager in Barcelona. When he heard Sloane’s voice at the mouth of the cave a few minutes later, he was almost completely calm.

“There you are! Ready, princess?” Sloane’s voice was sarcastic, impatient. _Always impatient, rushing headfirst into shit,_ Reyes thought with disdain. Then he heard the reply of Sloane’s companion.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go.” Mara’s annoyed voice almost made him laugh, and his heart swelled with affection. _My feisty Pathfinder… if she’ll be mine after all this shit._

Reyes listened as the two sets of footsteps entered main room of the cave - easily within range of Robert’s rifle. _Here goes nothing…_ Then, with an internal chuckle at his own melodrama, he stepped out of the shadows. 

*****************

“You look like you’re waiting for someone.” 

Mara’s throat constricted as a flood of emotions washed over her, even as her body thrilled at the sound of his voice. She hated to admit it, but she'd missed hearing that goddamn caramel-smooth voice over the past two days. _Jesus Christ, it's true then,_ she thought, staring as Reyes stepped out of from the shadows on a ledge of rock at head height, his bronze eyes cold as marbles as he gazed at Sloane, a cool smirk on his delicious lips. As soon as Cora and Vetra had raised the possibility that Reyes was the Charlatan, Mara had known it had to be true. All the pieces fit together, and during their frenzied drive to Draullir, she mentally kicked herself for not realizing it earlier. 

Sloane, it seemed, was not as quick on the uptake. She threw Reyes a condescending glance. “I'm waiting for the Charlatan, not some third-rate smuggler,” she said dismissively. 

Mara couldn't tear her eyes from him as she spelled it out for Sloane. “They're one and the same.” 

Sloane whipped back around, her face slack with shock, followed quickly by a disgusted sneer. 

“Surprise,” Reyes said with a trace of his usual cheek, despite the seriousness of his face. _Always fucking laughing even in the worst situations,_ Mara thought to herself, unable to decide which of her feelings was dominant: was she angry, relieved, betrayed, or delighted? All of them? Betrayal finally won out as she glared at him. “This whole time, you’ve been lying to me?” 

At the anger in her words, his expression softened and suddenly he was her Reyes again: his bronze eyes warm, pleading with her. “Not about everything,” he said quietly, his voice intense. “ _You_ know who I really am.” 

Mara’s throat thickened with emotion at the intensity and vulnerability in his words, but she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook yet. _This was a hell of a lie, Reyes,_ she thought. And she was still smarting from his standoffishness from two days before. Conflicted, she struggled for a response, but before she could say another word, Sloane broke in. “You said you wanted to settle things,” she snapped, her voice tight with rage. “How?”

Reyes hopped down from the high ledge, his face cold and neutral again… and dangerous, as it was on the day of Zia’s death. “A duel. You and me, right now. Winner takes Kadara Port.” 

Mara couldn’t hold her tongue at this. “You want to avoid war by shooting each other?” she blurted incredulously. 

Reyes tilted his head and looked at her innocently. “Two people shooting each other is better than a lot of people shooting each other,” he replied. Mara glared at him for his glib reply, fear joining the party of emotions warring for dominance in her mind. She knew that Reyes could take care of himself, but dodging bullets in a fight was very different from having the fastest reaction time in a stupid ancient Wild West-style face-off. _What if he loses? What will I do if…?_

But Sloane was already answering. “I’ll take those terms,” she said, rage making her foolhardy, her fingers already hovering over her sidearm. Slowly, she and Reyes began to circle each other. Mara literally could not believe the stupidity she was witnessing. She stepped forward, prepared to launch her heavily-armoured body between the two criminal leaders if that’s what it took to stop this farce, when suddenly she saw a glint of light behind Reyes’ head out of the corner of her eye.

SAM automatically sharpened Mara’s vision, allowing her to discern what she had just seen. “Sniper,” SAM explained, his calm voice a counterpoint to Mara’s seething inner panic. “His sights are set on Sloane.” 

_Oh my god,_ Mara thought, the pieces clicking into place yet again. Reyes, in true Charlatan style, had set Sloane up. Mara couldn’t help but remember how she had harboured a secret fantasy of assassinating Sloane after speaking to her for the first time. _All this time, Reyes must have been planning this. He had the same idea as me all along… but he’s ‘dirty’ enough to be able to carry it out without consequence._

Mara couldn’t believe the serendipity of the situation. The man she was in love with turned out to be the Charlatan, with the resources and impunity to achieve her secret wish without sullying the reputation of the Initiative. Mara felt diabolical just thinking about how neatly her dilemma was resolving itself, without her needing to interfere at all. Suddenly, she realized that she no longer felt betrayed by Reyes. She understood his strategy, his reasons for keeping his secrets, his reason for keeping this plan - and his identity as the Charlatan - close to the vest. 

And at this moment, she knew what she was going to do: absolutely nothing.

The sharp retort of the sniper rifle rang out in the cave a moment later. Sloane gave a grunt of shock and pain as the rifle round hit home in the left side of her chest. She stared up at Reyes, a vague expression of disbelief on her face. Reyes stepped close to her, his eyes cold as ice, a chilling smirk on his lips as he pointed his index finger at her. “Bang,” he said softly. Without another word, Sloane collapsed on the cave floor, dead. 

The sniper, who Mara now recognized as Robert from the Collective base, jumped down from the ledge, already slinging the rifle over his back. “Get her out of here,” Reyes told Robert briskly, gesturing to Sloane’s body. “Prepare the crew. Kadara Port is ours tonight.” Finally, he turned to Mara, a hesitant smile slowly lighting his face, his eyes warm and grateful. He took a tentative step closer to her. 

Despite being completely comfortable with her decision to permit Sloane’s murder, Mara still felt a distance between herself and Reyes. She desperately wanted to regain their closeness from two nights ago, but she refused to put herself on the line again unless she knew his intentions, and whether he felt… the same way she felt. Unable to make eye contact with him, she stepped away from his approach and headed towards the mouth of the cave, where Vetra and Cora stood guard with the Nomad. “Guess you got everything you wanted,” Mara said, her words sounding more bitter than she had intended. _Oops. I guess I’m talking about more than Kadara Port here, whether I mean to or not._

Reyes looked at her, his eyes apologetic but his voice businesslike as fell into step beside her. “What I want is peace. Sloane would have brought war to Heleus - you know that. We don’t have the population to survive that.” He picked up his pace a slightly, looking like he was going to call out to Robert.

“Why didn’t you trust me?” The words popped out before Mara could stop herself. _Was I really just a pawn in your power play for Kadara?_ Had it been real when he’d stroked her cheek so gently with his thumb, when he’d kissed her mouth so heatedly? Or had it all been part of his game? Mara was suddenly desperate to know. _What am I to you, Reyes? Should I be leaving this all behind before you hurt me further?_

Reyes stopped, his back to her, his shoulders slumping from their usual proud height. He rubbed his hand through his slick hair, mussing it in agitation. When he turned to glance at Mara, his face was genuinely pained, and that sadness - the wistfulness she had seen on their night on the town together - was back in full force. “I… liked the way you looked at me. I was afraid… that would change.” He looked her directly in the face then, his gaze unwavering, his eyes blazing with emotion, his shoulders slumped in resignation as though he was expecting a blow. 

Mara’s thoughts raced as she prodded her raw emotions. Had anything changed since she found out the truth? She realized that her mind had already seamlessly assimilated Reyes’ identity as the Charlatan; it had been an easy fit, after all, once the idea was dropped into her mind. She actually admired the sheer effort and time it had taken him to plan Sloane’s downfall so tidily. And underneath it all, that damned uncanny connection, that crazy chemistry drawing the two of them together, was as intense as ever - a true force of nature that neither of them could deny. 

Finally, she raised her eyes, and for the first time in days, a smile broke over Mara Ryder’s face. She shook her head slightly, her gaze not breaking from his. “Nothing’s changed.”

The relief that washed over Reyes’ face was like dawn breaking. A huge grin split his face, and the sadness in his eyes transformed into a blazing heat. “You have bad taste in men,” he said, his voice rife with laughter… and undeniable sexual heat. Suddenly he stepped towards her, his pace as purposeful and graceful as a leopard’s, and before Mara could breathe another word, his hand slammed into the cave wall beside her head and he crowded her body with his, her back against the cave, as he closed his mouth urgently over hers. 

Raw sexual heat lanced through Mara’s body, her arousal heightened by Reyes’ dominance and by the sheer relief she felt… relief that they were both stepping out of this situation alive, and relief that her feelings were not one-sided. _Nobody could call this heat one-sided,_ she thought, her blood surging with excitement as his left hand curved around her hip, tilting her pelvis intimately close to his. _I can’t believe I ever doubted it._ His right hand remained on the wall, maintaining his physical dominance over her - a dominance she loved in the bedroom, since nothing physically intimidated her outside of it. Reyes stroked his tongue against hers, his hot mouth sealed over lips, then gently traced the line of her lower lip with the tip of his tongue before capturing her lips in another bruising kiss, the grinding hardness of his cock against the vee of her thighs driving her into a state of manic arousal. Mara broke away from his mouth, gasping, her hand sliding down his chest towards his waistline, then veering around his upper body to drag him closer to her. She wanted the feel of her nipples pressed against his chest, and her heavy armour was frustrating the hell out of her. 

Suddenly she remembered where they were: one of Kadara’s infamous ‘death caves’, Sloane’s blood still cooling on the floor less than 10 metres away, and her two squadmates/best friends literally within earshot… and Mara didn’t regret it for one moment. _Does this mean I have bad taste in men?_ she thought to herself, panting in excitement as Reyes brushed his lips over her neck with unbearable gentleness. Her laughter burbled over into her voice as she raised her lips to his ear, and whispered huskily: “The worst.” 

*****************

Reyes laughed, a dark, sexual growl of a sound, before lifting his left hand from Mara’s hips to tilt her chin up for another deep kiss. He could tell that she was insanely turned on by his aggressive dominance, so he continued to crowd her body with his, pressing his cock into the cradle of her hips, not giving her space to move away. She moaned softly, an uninhibitedly sexual sound that ratcheted his own lust even higher.

Mara had been wrong before when she said he’d gotten everything he wanted. _No,_ he thought to himself, as Mara pulled away from his lips to smile brilliantly at him, her cheeks pink with arousal, and her eyes full of joyful laughter - and acceptance. He gazed at her, his throat swelling with emotion and gratitude as he smiled back, then kissed her again, melding his tongue with hers. _No, with this woman at my side, I’ll have everything I want._ And finally, for the first time in his life, the Charlatan felt whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, friends - this is definitely not the end of the story! ;)


	11. Ditaeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the Charlatan's takeover, Mara Ryder and Reyes Vidal finally find a moment of privacy. 
> 
> *wink wink*

Mara stepped into Reyes’ private room in Tartarus, alone and - for the first time outside of the Port - wearing her civvy clothes instead of her armour: leather jacket, scarf and gloves, with her handy Sidewinder hanging from her hip. Reyes looked up at her from his omni-tool, and the uninhibited way his face lit up made her heart flutter. 

Last night in the cave, once she and Reyes had managed to break apart for a moment to discuss the next steps in the Collective’s takeover, Reyes has explained to her that the stupid comment he'd made to piss her off - _I’d rather keep you guessing_ \- had been a poorly-judged attempt to break the tension and make her feel comfortable. She had immediately teased him, saying he was unworthy of his codename ‘shena’. To her delight, he had roared with laughter and told her he had thought the exact same thing. _Same page through and through,_ Mara thought dreamily, thinking of how often their ideas and thoughts had coincided over the past month with neither of them even knowing it. _Imagine what we’ll be able to achieve together now that we’ve started actually talking about shit instead of dancing around it!_

Mara swayed over to Reyes and deposited herself familiarly on the couch beside him. She cocked her head cheekily. “Tartarus is a little shabby for Kadara’s new leader, don’t you think?”

He gave her a mock-chiding look as he poured her a drink from the ever-present bottle of whiskey on the table. “Come on, Ryder. You know I prefer to rule from the shadows.” 

Mara settled back, lifting her cup and tucking her feet up on the couch. “You are a shady bastard,” she said casually as she sipped the whiskey, a hint of a smile tugging her lips. Reyes slid an inch closer to her, lowering his voice to an intimate purr. “But a handsome one, right?” Mara raised her eyebrows at him over the rim of the cup, unable to quell her smile. 

Reyes leaned back, segueing back into business talk. “Keema Dohrgun has agreed to be my front,” he explained. “And with Sloane gone, there’s room for the Initiative on Kadara.”

 _Finally!_ Mara thought with relief. “I’ll start rounding up volunteers for an outpost,” she said brightly, placing her cup back on the table. She gave him an arch look. “Might take a while… you exiles have a reputation.” 

Reyes leaned back and stretched one arm along the length of the couch behind Mara’s shoulders, making her skin tingle with anticipation. “Not all of us are thieves and murderers,” he said innocently. He looked intently at her then, a playful smirk on his lips but his eyes serious. “I am, but some of the others are perfectly nice.” 

_He’s still uncertain,_ Mara realized with a throb of tenderness. _Even after the cave, he thinks I’m going to leave him._ She leaned her weight into his arm in reassurance, not breaking her gaze from his. “Perfectly,” she replied sardonically. _I know who you are and I’m not going anywhere, you brute._

Reyes smiled at her, a true, open smile, before returning to business again. “Jokes aside, I want this outpost just as much as you do. It will have my full protection. That’s a promise.” 

Mara reached over and took another small sip of whiskey, then gave him an open, honest look. “I allied myself with the right man.” _In more ways than one._

Reyes’ eyes burned with gratitude as a slow smile lit his beautiful face. He slid his arm from around her and stood slowly. “If we’re done with all the boring business talk, there is… something I want to do.” He tapped at his omni-tool. 

Mara eyed him suspiciously, putting her cup back on the table. “You’re up to something. Again.”

At that moment, soft, romantic music filtered through the room. Mara looked at Reyes, surprised; her breath caught at the tender affection in his face. “I neglected you on our first date,” he said huskily, offering her his hand in a gallant gesture. “How about we fix that?”

Mara’s heart bloomed with love as she smiled and took his hand. “I didn’t know you had a romantic streak,” she quipped, still trying to hide the intensity of her feelings under humour as he gently pulled her from the couch. _Jesus, I’m crazy about him… But I think it’ll take a while before I’m ready to tell him that._

Reyes gracefully led her away from the couch, then skilfully pulled her into his arms, their bodies flush from chest to knee, sparking that ever-present heat in Mara’s body. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he said, his voice a deep, intimate purr. They swayed slowly together to the melody filling the room, Reyes’ left and firmly on her back, his right hand gently cradling her left. He gazed down at her, his face more serious than she had ever seen it. “Since leaving the Nexus, my survival has depended on secrets,” he said. “I don’t want any more of those between us, Ryder.” 

Mara gazed into his hooded bronze eyes, deeply touched by what Reyes was offering. He meant his survival since the uprising, but Mara knew that his whole life - his entire modus operandi - had always been to watch quietly, to observe from the shadows, and to gather information in order to protect himself. Her throat swelled with emotion: he was offering to change his very essence if he thought it would make her happy. But never in a million years would Mara want this man - this complicated, intelligent, dangerous, affectionate, _good_ man - to change himself. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Reyes,” she said gently, looking deeply into his eyes to soften her words. “You will have secrets; that’s who you are. Just don’t lie to me about the big stuff.” 

Reyes gazed down at her, and for the first time, Mara saw a sheen of tears in his eyes. He pulled her closer, grazing her temple with his lips. “Thank you,” he whispered, his soft breath at her ear sending shivers down her spine. 

“For what?” she breathed, a spark of desire beginning to pulse under her skin. 

His reply caused a sudden burn of tears at the back of her eyes. “For accepting me.” 

Mara pulled back slightly and their eyes met, the heat and emotion in his bronze eyes matching Mara’s jade ones. Without another word, their lips met in a slow, simmering kiss as they continued to slowly sway to the music. 

Without breaking the kiss, Reyes gently released Mara’s hand and slid his hands up to her neck, cradling her neck tenderly and tilting her head back to kiss her more deeply. Mara opened her mouth to his tongue, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling his pelvis closer to hers. Mara’s breath hitched in her throat as Reyes slid one hand to the back of her head and gently tugged at her short hair, exposing her throat so he could slide his hot mouth delicately along the length of her throat. Mara dug her nails into his back, her eyelids fluttering shut as his gentle, teasing lips on her neck caused ripples of pleasure to thrill from her chest down to the vee of her thighs. Mara gave a tiny gasp as Reyes suddenly bit at the tendon in her neck. He pulled back, his eyes dark with satisfaction, his lips level with hers. Mara grabbed his collar and pulled him forcefully down, kissing him hard, her tongue stroking ruthlessly into his mouth, eliciting a groan from deep in his throat that made her nipples peak inside her bra. 

Suddenly, Mara’s omni-tool lit up, and SAM’s voice - usually dearly loved by Mara - interrupted most unwelcomely. “Pathfinder, Director Addison wishes to speak to you on vidcom.”

Reyes laughed tightly, his voice gravelly with unfulfilled lust as he broke their kiss. “Who the _fuck_ is Director Addison, and can she fuck off for ten more minutes?” he growled, sliding his hands from Mara’s neck down to her hips and pulling her firmly against his rock-hard cock. Mara inhaled sharply, then pushed halfheartedly at Reyes’ chest, trying to release herself from his seductive grip. “She’s the Director of Colonial Affairs,” Mara groaned. “She’ll want to know about the outpost status.” As Reyes reluctantly released her, she eyed his swollen crotch with open appreciation. “Only ten minutes, huh?” 

Reyes burst into laughter, then stepped towards her again, his eyes dark with sexual intent. Mara dodged away towards the door, laughing. “Okay, more like… 100 minutes,” Reyes said. Mara quirked an eyebrow at him in mock-skepticism. He laughed again, leaning back on his heel, allowing her to unabashedly ogle the shape of his broad shoulders, his trim, taut waist, and his enticingly swollen package. “You’re a greedy woman, Mara Ryder. But I’ll give you all night long… just say the word.” His hooded eyes blazed with sexual promise, challenging her to come close and taste what he was offering. Mara’s lips parted involuntarily at the nakedly sexual look on his face, the delicious, arrogant stance of his body. _If I’m this horny when we’re fully clothed, what’ll happen to me when he strips his kit off? I’ll probably just melt into a puddle._ She took a deep breath to control herself and grinned at him, shaking her head, then stepped towards the door slightly clumsily with a dismissive little wave, his mocking laugh in her ears. 

Just as Mara was about to open the door, she turned back suddenly. “Oh, in case you were wondering,” she said cheekily, “I don’t have any interesting secrets. Just ask my crew.” She sniggered inwardly at the memory of Cora, Vetra and Peebee ambushing in her in bed. “You’re the encrypted one here.”

Reyes smiled at her, his mouth half open on a retort, then chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Mara looked quizzically at him, one eyebrow raised. “What?”

Reyes looked up at her, his lips twisted in a smirk. “I was about to say something cheesy.”

Mara turned back towards him, curious. “Say it.” 

He stepped forward, a swagger of sexual confidence in his step, and cornered her with her back against the door, his broad shoulders boxing her in. He placed his hand flat on the door behind her head, reminding her forcefully - and excitedly - of their kiss in the cave. He dipped his head down, his lips a breath from hers, and murmured: “Consider me hacked.” Then he captured her lips again, nibbling at her full lower lip as he cupped her neck in his hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb in the way she loved. 

Mara opened her mouth to his tongue without hesitation, but couldn’t help as a little laugh burbled from her throat. Reyes pulled back, his lips slightly swollen from kissing her. “You’re laughing at me? Again?” he growled playfully. 

Mara gently pushed him away, her hands on his hard, flat abs, her smile teasing as she turned towards the door. “I can’t believe they called you ‘shena’. Really? With lines like that?” He wrinkled his nose at her and pinched her bum, making her bite her tongue to stop from laughing again. Without another word, she smiled at him over her shoulder, twitched her hips teasingly, and left Tartarus. 

She grinned to herself as she heard his parting words, satisfied at the strain of arousal in his voice: “Thanks for stopping by!”

****************

The next day, before heading out into the badlands to help the new colonists to settle in, she stopped by Sloane’s former seat of power to visit Keema, at Reyes’ emailed suggestion. Mara thought cheerfully of how Reyes had signed his email, with two kisses: _Reyes xx_. Such a small, silly thing, but enough to put a spring in Mara’s step. 

She stepped through the doors of what was now Keema’s office, which now looked much friendly without all the glowering Outcast sycophants. Two angara guards greeted her politely as she headed toward Keema’s office. 

To Mara’s amusement, Keema was ensconced in Sloane’s old chair. She looked positively elegant, a cigar dangling from her fingers, her legs crossed delicately, looking completely at ease. Keema sat forward as Mara approached, a welcoming smile on her face. “Pathfinder,” Keema purred. “It’s good to see you again.”

Mara grinned, nodding her head at the chair. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

Keema grinned back, one eyebrow quirked in complicity. “What’s the human expression? About having friends in high places?” She leaned back and recrossed her legs, taking a delicate puff from her cigar. “The Charlatan and I agreed it would be mutually beneficial if I was the face of Kadara Port.” She smiled up at Mara again. “And nowadays, my ass does more than sit in this chair. The Charlatan listens to me more than Sloane ever did… as you know.” Keema gave Mara a knowing look.

At this point, Mara had to confirm it. “I take it you know the Charlatan’s true identity?”

Keema smiled at her, sisterly fondness softening her face. “I’m one of the select few. I told him to tell you earlier, but he worried about what you’d think.” Keema smiled teasingly at Mara. “It was adorable, really.” 

Mara blushed, a goofy smile spreading over her face. Hastily, she changed the subject, asking more questions about the status of the port and about Keema’s new role since the Collective takeover. They chatted amiably for a few more minutes, and Mara learned that Kaetus was alive and well, in the holding cells. Mara was surprised to learn that it was Reyes’ decision to keep Kaetus alive. “The Charlatan thinks he’s worth something,” Keema said, skepticism colouring her tone slightly. “Oh?” Mara replied curiously. Keema shrugged, her face philosophical. “He _was_ Sloane’s confidant. The Charlatan won’t kill him until he’s learned every dirty secret,” she explained. _That makes sense,_ Mara thought, but couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Kaetus. Kaetus had actually been a good second-in-command, well worthy of the position. But anyone with half a brain could tell that Kaetus had been desperately in love with Sloane and would have died for her if he’d been given the chance… and that kind of love did indeed make Kaetus dangerous, to Reyes and Keema both. Mara shook her head slightly, dismissing the problem for now; it wasn’t hers, after all. 

Finally, Mara took her leave, ready to head out to the new colony. “I should be going,” she said, offering her arm in an angaran handshake. Keema smiled up at her warmly. “See you soon, Pathfinder.” 

******************

An extremely busy week passed, with Mara and the squad so busy setting up the new outpost and dealing with the local Remnant Architect that they hardly had time eat or sleep. Mara also knew that Reyes was in overdrive, ensuring that his current Collective holdings were secure while weeding out and eliminating any pockets of Outcast opposition, and also arranging full protection for the new outpost. Despite their insanely busy schedules, Mara and Reyes found time to email each other multiple times a day… and as the week wore on, their emails became more and more heated and explicit, to the point that Mara’s panties started to get wet as soon as she saw Reyes’ name at the start of an email. 

Mara stood at the panoramic window in the new outpost’s guest quarters, wrapped in an oversized toweling robe, having just taken a shower. She admired the lines of the new outpost, contrasted with Kadara’s wild mountains, everything lit by the warm glow of the setting sun. _Reyes was right. This place is absolutely fucking gorgeous._ Of all the worlds Mara had now seen, Kadara was definitely her favourite. Mara had never been much of one for settling down; in the Milky Way, she had always loved travelling from Prothean site to Prothean site, and her stopovers in the Citadel had always felt like just that: stopovers, rather than ‘coming home’. She certainly felt more at home on the Tempest than she ever had planetside. But gazing out over Kadara’s wild landscape, she thought that maybe someday, she could imagine putting down roots here. _I wonder if Reyes…_

Mara shook her head a bit, a tiny smile on her face. _I won’t go there,_ she told herself firmly. Yes, she was in love with Reyes, and she was pretty sure he loved her too, but really, they had only known each other for about a month. _It would be insane to consider living together after just a month!_ she reminded herself sternly. In the meantime, Mara fizzed with anticipation: she and Reyes had finally been able to arrange another date tonight, and she couldn’t wait to finally get her hands on his fine body. 

She turned away from the window to get dressed… and jumped, startled, to find Reyes standing in the door, his hands in his pockets as he leaned casually against the doorframe, watching her with open admiration on his face. He smiled slowly, and delivered his signature line in that deep, Spanish-accented voice that she loved so much: “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

Mara laughed a little breathlessly, clutching her chest. Reyes’ eyes on her face were incredibly intense, his pupils so dilated with lust that they were almost black. Her heart started galloping in her chest as she realized suddenly that she was naked except for the large robe she was wearing… and he, in contrast, was fully clothed. Heat flooded her body, and her groin began to tingle with arousal. “You’re early!” she managed to say, in a tone of mock censure. “Who are you, and what did you do with the real Reyes?” 

He took a slow, predatory step into the room, hands still in his pockets, his body relaxed and casual, contrasting sharply with the taut lust on his face. The doors slid silently shut behind him. “If I had known you’d be standing naked in the window, I would have come even earlier,” he purred, his voice deep and gravelly with lust. He took another step towards her, his cock already hard and tenting his pants, the height of his broad shoulders looming over her with sexy arrogance as he approached. Mara stood by the window, frozen, panting quietly for breath, unable to look away from him as he approached her slowly, hot sexual intent rolling off of him. Finally, when he stood a bare inch away from her, hands still in his damn pockets, Mara found her tongue. “I’m not naked,” she retorted weakly. “I’m wearing this robe.” She clutched the lapels of the robe as though to demonstrate.

Reyes continued to gaze steadily down at her, his eyes so intensely focused that Mara almost found it difficult to meet his gaze, to be the center of all that heated sexual focus. He opened his mouth, and his hot breath grazed her cheek as he spoke. “Take it off.” 

Mara’s lips parted and her cheeks flushed. Her whole body was buzzing with insane lust, her nipples so hard that they poked through the robe, wetness from her swollen labia moistening the juncture of her thighs. She stared up at him, challenge in her eyes, as she straightened her spine, slowly thrusting her breasts towards him and arching her spine. 

To her surprise - and screaming arousal - he took a tiny step away from her and shook his head. _And his goddamned hands are still in his goddamned pockets!_ His eyes still on hers, he spoke again, his tone firm and unyielding as he nodded at her robe. “Take. It. Off.”

Without another moment’s hesitation, and without breaking her gaze from Reyes’ face, Mara opened the robe and shrugged it to the floor. She stood in front of him, completely naked, defiantly confident, the fiery glow of the setting sun lighting her smooth golden skin from behind. _Thank fuck these windows have one-way darkout film on them,_ she thought idly, panting with anticipation as she watched Reyes’ smouldering gaze peruse her body: her breasts outthrust, the dusky pearls of her nipples begging to be touched; the hourglass curve of her waist and hips; her legs spread confidently, a sheen of moisture slick at the top of her thighs. 

Finally his gaze returned to her face, and his lips melted into a smile, the intense sexual heat of his gaze scalding her. He shook his head in admiration. “Fuck. Me. Mara Ryder, you are… exquisite.” Without further ado, he stepped forward, his left hand firm at the back of her neck as he pulled her towards him, kissing her fiercely, his tongue slicking firmly into her mouth. She gasped, inflamed as the rough fabric of his jacket abraded her sensitive nipples. His right hand slid up her ribs to rest teasingly just below her breast, his thumb lightly stroking the underside of her breast, driving her even higher into lust as he purposely withheld his touch from her most sensitive parts. She moaned in frustration, grabbing his ass frantically with one hand to pull his pelvis closer, and uninhibitedly rubbed her breasts against his clothed chest, desperate for friction. He broke their kiss, chuckling deep in his throat. “Ryder, you are fucking eager. I love it.” He slid his hands down to her hips, backing her firmly against the window. Goosebumps rippled over her arms as the hot skin of her back pressed against the cool window. He hovered his lips tantalizingly close to hers. Mara tried to press forward and kiss him, but his left hand on her collarbone stopped her, keeping her still, as his right hand pinched her nipple gently. 

Mara dropped her head back against the window, eyes shut, unable to think straight as a wave of sexual arousal crashed over her body at that one simple touch. Reyes laughed softly, a dark, satisfied sound. He slowly slid the fingers of his right hand down her ribs, over her abdomen… Her belly contracted with frenzied anticipation as he slid his hand lower, his fingers stroking her thigh gently. Then, as Reyes’ tongue darted out to trace Mara’s lower lip, his index and middle fingers stroked the smooth folds of her labia, dipping with gentle firmness into her moist heat before withdrawing slowly. 

Mara gasped and moaned, writhing with lust, trying to push her pelvis close to his. She could hardly formulate words; her mind felt drugged with sexual desire. She opened her eyes in a desperate plea, and lost her breath again as Reyes raised the fingers of his right hand, a sheen of her feminine moisture on his fingers, and - without breaking his gaze from hers - sucked the tips of his fingers gently. 

_Oh. Fuck,_ Mara thought deliriously. She was so incredibly horny that she was almost angry at Reyes for torturing her with such delicious effectiveness. “Reyes, please,” she begged, panting, still pushing fruitlessly against his left hand’s relentless pressure on her collarbone. “I need you. Please… I need-” 

Reyes cut her off with a punishing kiss, his tongue filling her mouth and stopping her protests. She grabbed his hair firmly, pulling hard with intent to hurt, to punish, and tried to wrap her leg around his waist, but his right hand darted down to her hip, firmly stopping her. Reyes broke their kiss, gasping with arousal now, and moved his left hand up to firmly grip her chin. “I’m going to taste your pussy now,” he said, his caramel voice rough with lust, his forehead resting against hers. “Yes?” 

“Yes,” Mara cried, “God, please, yes-” Without another word, Reyes dropped to his knees and wrapped his left hand firmly around the back of her thigh just beneath her butt. With the fingers of his clever right hand, he expertly parted her slick labia. Then, tilting his head slightly to optimize his angle of attack, he smoothed his hot tongue over her pussy. 

Mara cried out, relief mixing with even more heightened lust. _Fuck yes - this is what I need,_ she thought desperately, as Reyes’ tongue stroked between her swollen folds, gently at first then with more pressure, the tip of his tongue circling expertly around the throbbing nub of her clitoris with unbearable gentleness. Suddenly, without removing his mouth from her body, Reyes lifted her right leg and rested her foot on his shoulder, spreading her legs wider and giving him easier access to her exposed pussy. She gasped at the intimate exposure, her hands flush against the glass of the window, as he continued to swirl his tongue around her clitoris, the fingers of his right hand ever-so-gently stroking along the length of her wet labia as his tongue finally slicked delicately over her clitoris in a rhythmic motion. 

Waves of pleasure crashed over Mara as pressure began to build in her clitoris, enhanced by the stroking sensation of his fingers over her feminine folds. Her orgasm ripped through her suddenly and she let out a guttural cry, tingling from the core of her pussy out to her fingers and toes... And at the moment of her orgasm, Reyes suddenly plunged one finger inside of her, stroking his finger in a come-hither motion that almost made Mara pass out with sudden pleasure. 

Her body vibrating and limp with orgasm, Mara gave her weight to the window, feeling boneless, her calves still spasming with aftershocks of her orgasm. But Reyes didn’t give her a moment to rest. He stood abruptly, then swept her roughly into his arms and threw her on the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. Mara clumsily pushed herself upright, the stupor of her orgasm wearing away and her excitement mounting again as Reyes faced her, his hands at his belt. “I’m not done with you yet, Pathfinder,” he growled, as he briskly undid his belt and whipped it off, dropping it on the floor. He kicked his boots and socks off roughly while aggressively pulling off his jacket to reveal a form-fitting black under-armour shirt. Mara sat forward at the edge of the bed, her breasts unconsciously thrust towards him, her breath coming short and sharp again as he stripped off his under-armour… and Mara greedily feasted her eyes on his bare chest, ripped with muscle but not overly bulky, his abs taut, a light dusting of dark hair on his chest and leading from his bellybutton down into his pants. 

Reyes stepped close to the bed, and Mara, unable to bear the wait, grabbed his waist, pulling his standing form between her legs as she sat at the edge of the bed. “You’d better not be done yet, smuggler,” she retorted, her voice husky with sex. “It’s my turn now.” She unbuttoned his pants swiftly and reached into his boxer briefs, freeing his hard, smooth shaft, a sheen of precum on the head of his cock. With her left hand, she shoved his pants down and cupped his balls, her right hand gripping the shaft and pumping once with a gentle pressure. “Fuck,” Reyes gasped, causing a smile of satisfaction to light Mara’s face. Without hesitation, Mara gripped the base of his shaft and slid his cock deeply into her mouth, enjoying his groan of pleasure as his cock slid back beyond her palate. _Now who’s the eager one?_ she thought cheekily as she lightly tugged his balls, then applied a firm pressure to his perineum with two fingers. She slid her mouth up and down the hardness of his shaft, enjoying the slightly salty taste and the sound of Reyes’ rapid breathing. 

Reyes didn’t allow her to continue for more than 20 seconds before gently but firmly taking her chin in his fingers and backing her onto the bed. “That’s enough,” he growled. “I need to fuck you, Mara. I need to feel that sweet pussy.” He pressed a gentle thumb on her lower lip, kissing her roughly as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up towards the head of the bed, his knees nudging her thighs apart. But Mara was done with being dominated. Breaking their kiss, she shoved roughly at his chest, forcing him to sit back on his knees. He looked askance at her as she pushed herself up off her back. Then he smiled wickedly as he realized what she wanted: he complied when she roughly pushed him down on his back and straddled his hips. “I’m the Pathfinder,” she said teasingly, her voice thick with desire. “I’m in charge here.” 

“I can agree to that,” Reyes managed - and then Mara Ryder thrust down onto his cock, the tight, wet heat of her pussy driving any further words out of his head. He slammed his head back into the pillows, groaning with ecstasy at the tightness around his throbbing shaft. Mara slid slowly up, making him pant with desperation, and held herself teasingly over him until he grabbed at her hips, staring up at her pleadingly. She grinned teasingly down at him and shoved his hands off of her hips, giving as good as she had gotten. “Mara,” he gasped, as she rubbed her slick folds back and forth over the head of his cock with unbearable gentleness. “Please, fuck me. Please!” She tossed her head, a formidable valkyrie dominating his body, then raised one eyebrow at him. “Since you asked so nicely,” she purred, and thrust her pussy down on his cock forcefully, making him cry out with pleasure. 

They continued to tease each other, Mara grinding her hips slowly against his, then Reyes holding her hips firmly when she tried to slam down on him. Finally, both of them wild with sexual need, they hit a driving rhythm, Reyes’ tight ass flexing as he thrust his hard cock up to meet Mara as she pounded against him rhythmically, Reyes’ hands firmly gripping her hips to guide her. Reyes felt his orgasm building and he stared into Mara’s face, her lips parted as she gasped with pleasure, her breasts bouncing enticingly with every thrust of his cock. Mara then gently licked one finger of her left hand and began gently rubbing her clit as Reyes continued to pound into her. He panted, moaning with heightened pleasure at the sight of Mara touching herself. Two minutes later, they both erupted into orgasm together, Reyes pulling Mara down to his chest with one hand around the back of her neck and swallowing her scream of pleasure in an open-mouthed kiss.

Mara and Reyes lay on the bed, Mara comfortably straddling him, her reassuring weight pressing him into the mattress, his still semi-hard cock throbbing inside Mara in time with his heartbeat. Mara lay with her head on Reyes’ chest, enjoying the sticky feel of their sweat and the satisfying thump of his heart. She sighed with contentment as he raised one hand and ran his fingers idly through her sweaty hair and lightly massaged her neck. Finally, after a languorous five minutes passed, Mara propped herself up on one elbow, kissed Reyes cheerfully on the lips, and briskly rolled off of his body. He groaned with disappointment as she rolled away from him. “Aww… finished with me already? Get back here, Ryder.” He rolled onto his side, admiring the sway of her naked hips and butt as she disappeared into the bathroom to clean up. “Gather your strength, Reyes,” she called, her voice playful and sexy. “That was only round one. You have a lot of promises to live up to.” 

Reyes flopped back on the bed, a goofy grin lighting his face as his chest swelled with happiness and adoration for the irreverent, bold, intelligent Pathfinder. _Would Keema kill me if I decided to take off for a few days? I’m not going to be able to get anything done now that I’ve had a taste of this woman…_

He watched with naked admiration as she strolled back towards the bed, totally un-self-conscious in her nudity. She picked the robe up from where she’d dropped it - _at my demand,_ he thought with satisfaction - and wrapped it loosely around herself before dropping onto her knees beside him on the bed. Unable to resist the touch of her skin, he turned onto his side, supporting himself on one elbow to kiss her, his hand cupping her breast. He swept her taut nipple with his thumb, and Mara inhaled sharply, her head dropping back with pleasure. Reyes felt his cock being to stir again as he dropped his head to suckle her nipple, savouring its pearly firmness in his mouth and then sweeping her nipple delicately with little flicks of his tongue. 

Mara moaned in pleasure, then reluctantly pulled her robe closed with one hand, lifting his chin to her face with her other hand. “Behave,” she breathed, her entire demeanour screaming the contrary. Reyes grinned at her, slipping his hand around her waist. She tapped his lips with a stern finger. “Didn’t you say you had something to show me?” 

Reyes brightened, then sat up and stood to get dressed. “Yes, I do - but you have to put clothes on. Unfortunately.” He turned and pulled a mock-sad face at her. Mara rolled her eyes, then threw the robe off - _Goddamn, I could stare at that body all day,_ Reyes thought - and quickly pulled on some athletic leggings, a tank top, and her signature leather jacket. “This better be good,” she joked, the sexual heat in her eyes explaining clearly what they were missing by leaving this room. 

Reyes stepped forward, fully clothed. He tilted her chin up to meet his lips. “I might regret it. But I’ll make it up to you afterwards. After all… you are somebody I happily owe a favour.” She laughed, remembering their banter in Umi’s bar, and Umi’s exasperation at their flirting. Reyes gave her another swift, hot kiss, then led her out of the room and into a waiting shuttle. 

Fifteen minutes later, Mara stepped out of the shuttle, her mouth open in awe at the brilliant spread of stars in the sky. Reyes had brought her to one of the highest mountaintops on Kadara, which, incidentally, was close to where she had found that ancient angaran star map for Avela. She looked over at Reyes, beaming in excitement at the amazing view, to find him gazing at her, gauging her reaction. He smiled at her delight and sat on the nose of the shuttle, patting the hood beside him. Mara settled comfortably beside him and he slung an arm around her shoulders. “This is my favourite spot on all of Kadara,” he murmured, gazing up at the sky. “It’s so quiet. No one wants to build this far out from port.” He sighed in contentment. “When things are settled on this planet, and the Outcasts are eradicated, I might have some time… I would have a house built on this ridge.”

Mara looked at him quickly out of the corner of her eye, a hopeful feeling in her chest. Once again, their desires had aligned without either of them knowing it. As though reading her mind, Reyes looked at her, his face serious, his eyes vulnerable. “It would be nice… to have someone to share the view.” 

Mara smiled at him, her heart swelling with happiness. Reyes smiled back, his eyes brilliant in the dark. Mara kissed him sweetly, savouring the feel of his arm around her shoulders as he pulled her close. “I think that could be arranged,” she murmured against his lips, and grinned at his soft, husky laugh. 

_The Pathfinder and the Charlatan, living happily on a mountain on Kadara._ Not a conventional love story by any means, but Mara Ryder knew without a doubt that she wouldn’t change a damn thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of the romance as far as Mass Effect: Andromeda goes. I, for one, wished there had been more opportunities to interact with Reyes throughout the main story... so my story will go on, recounting Reyes' and Ryder's relationship as Ryder continues to hunt the Archon. 
> 
> Please stay tuned, guys! I hope you enjoy!


	12. Hunting the Archon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara Ryder returns to Kadara to visit Reyes Vidal after finding the salarian ark... and Reyes tries to cope with an angry side of Mara that he's never seen before.

**One month later…**

Reyes panted with exertion, flat on his back, drenched in sweat, and gazed up at the satisfied face of… Vetra Nyx. 

“That was pretty good!” Vetra said, standing up and offering her hand. Reyes took it, allowing Vetra to pull him back to a standing position. “You kicked my ass,” he panted, bent double, his hands on his knees. “How can you say that was good?”

Vetra chuckled, grinning at Mara, who was seated on the ground, watching their sparring with amusement. “You’re a fast learner,” Vetra said. “But you’re used to fighting with krogan, and their centre of gravity is lower. Also, key thing with turians,” she continued, pointing to her leg, “Is that we’ve got two joints. You can’t trip us as easily from behind - we can compensate using the second joint. You should focus on overbalancing us because we’re top-heavy.” 

Reyes nodded, still panting, then lay back down on the grass with a groan of pain. “You got me right in the solar plexus.” 

Vetra laughed - a reassuring, friendly sound that was familiar now to Reyes. Ever since the Collective had taken over Kadara Port, the two expert smugglers had worked together closely to optimize the supply lines to the colonies, the angaran homeworlds, and the Nexus, to everyone’s benefit. He had come to develop a great liking for the level-headed turian, and especially respected her friendship and protectiveness for Mara. 

“Sorry,” Vetra said, joining them on the sparsely grassy ground. “I forgot you humans are so tender.” 

Mara laughed and flicked Reyes’ earlobe. “He can work on toughening up while we’re gone.” Mara’s face became serious as Reyes rolled onto his side to face her. “We’re heading out to hunt the Archon tomorrow,” she told him, her voice businesslike, but her eyes worried. 

Reyes felt a jolt of fear in his stomach, as he always did when she left on a mission. _I should be used to this shit by now,_ he thought to himself, as he reached over and ran his hand down the length of her arm in a comforting caress. _But every time she leaves here… Even with her resourcefulness, her skills, her team… There’s always that chance…_ He shoved the thought away as he sat up. “Okay,” he said, his voice brisk as he stood, offering Mara a hand and helping her to her feet. He and Mara had implicitly decided that whenever she left Kadara for her dangerous missions, they wouldn’t verbalize their worries and fears, instead pouring their emotions into intense, ferocious sex. “So I’ll have something to do while you’re gone. I’m usually so bored, nothing to do except sit around on my ass…” He smirked at Mara and Vetra at the inside joke. The crew of the Tempest all knew Reyes would be intensely busy, running Kadara in conjunction with Keema Dohrgun. 

Vetra rolled her eyes as she brushed dust off her knees. “That’s why you’re so ‘tender’. Living the easy life.” She strolled off towards the small shuttle she’d flown from Kadara Port, as Mara and Reyes headed towards the Nomad. “Ryder, we’ll see you tomorrow at 0700. Take it easy, Vidal.” She gave them a casual wave and flew off. 

Before they got into the Nomad, Reyes took Mara’s arm, turning her towards him. “You ready for this?” he asked gently. He knew Mara preferred not to talk to him about her missions before setting out; she preferred to focus on getting ready, and when everything possible was organized and prepared, she fucked him like a wild beast, exhausting herself so she could sleep… not knowing that Reyes usually stayed awake for hours afterwards, unable to sleep, worry gnawing at his stomach as he ran his fingers over the smooth naked skin of her back as she slept. But this time, she looked more worried than usual. 

Mara sighed. “The stakes are high here. We’re going into the Archon’s flagship… even if everything goes according to plan, we’ll be facing a fuckton of kett. That is a certainty.” She rubbed a hand through her short dark hair, a sure sign of agitation. “Moshae Sjefa has told us everything she can, but we’re still essentially going in blind. There’s only so much we can do to prepare for this one.”

Reyes nodded, the rock of worry in his stomach tightening painfully. _My worries don’t matter here,_ he reminded himself, _she needs encouragement. She needs to know she can do this._ And no matter how afraid Reyes was for her, he was also confident that if anyone could pull off something like this, it was Mara Ryder. “So maybe it’s risky,” he conceded. “You’ve faced insane odds before. And you’ve already done some crazy shit and come out the other side without a scratch on this fine body.” He smiled at her, his gaze hot as he pulled her close, her pelvis flush to his. He lowered his voice to a sexy purr. “Fighting Architects… clearing that flophouse on Elaaden… that ‘Unity Rite’ thing in New Tuchanka with those fiends…” 

Mara looked up at him, a grin spreading over her full lips as she lifted an eyebrow sexily. “Maybe I should get some new scars for you to study.” 

Reyes laughed, a dark and sexy sound, his lust starting to simmer as Mara arched her back subtly, lifting her breasts closer to him, and took hold of his collar. “I’d prefer if you didn’t,” he said lowering his mouth to hers, “but just in case, I’ll be… extra attentive in looking for scars when you come back.” 

“Deal,” Mara whispered, tugging him down to meet her lips. 

****************

The next day, Mara stared through the window on the bridge of the Tempest, struck dumb at the sight before them. “It’s… Ark Paarchero,” Kallo breathed in disbelief. The whole crew were crowded on the bridge, staring at the static ark, tethered to the Archon’s flagship. “Well, that changes things,” Mara said glibly, narrowing her eyes. _This mission just got a whole lot more complicated._

“What can we do?” asked Jaal. “I’m working on it,” Mara replied. “SAM, connect me to the Moshae.”

Mara spoke briskly with Moshae Sjefa, obtaining last-minute details about the artifact and the ship’s layout. Just before signing off, the Moshae warned Mara: “Be careful. I’ve seen the Archon’s cruelty. I hope you don’t.” 

Mara nodded seriously. “That makes two of us. Thank you for your help, Moshae.” She turned to Jaal and Cora, who would be accompanying her. “ Okay,” she said, “We play this right, not only do we get away with the relic - we save the salarians.” 

Cora frowned, worried. “You heard the Moshae. Who knows what the Archon is capable of?”

Mara pursed her lips, her eyes burning dangerously. “If he’s done anything to those salarians, he’ll find out what we can do.”

“Ryder…” Kallo stood and approached Mara, his usually peppy face drawn with anxiety. “Those are my people. Whatever you need.”

Mara squeezed Kallo’s shoulder in encouragement. “We’ll get them back.” She turned to Cora and Jaal, her face set and businesslike. “Now let’s make this one count.”

**********************

> To: Reyes Vidal  
>  From: Mara Ryder  
>  Subject: I died! 
> 
> But I came back! All thanks to SAM. He’s the bomb. (Not literally.)
> 
> I’ll see you in 4 days. Have to update the Nexus leadership. 
> 
> Ryder xx

Reyes paced in his small living room in his apartment in Kadara Port, running his fingers through his hair in a gesture of agitation that he and Mara shared. The Tempest was due to land on Kadara today, and Reyes’ impatience increased as each hour passed without news from the Port. Keema was aware of the situation and was managing all business affairs for the day. “You’ll be useless anyway,” she had said earlier that day, tapping him on the forehead in a sisterly way. “I’d just have to fix all your messes if you tried to do any work.”

Reyes resisted drinking any more whiskey; he had already had more than he should, considering it was only early afternoon… _Wait, it’s 14:37 already? What the fuck is taking them so long?_ He dragged his fingers through his hair again, trying to decide if he should go over to the landing pad or whether that would look too desperate, when suddenly a message came through on his omni-tool from a Collective agent: ‘Tempest docked. Pathfinder en route.’

Reyes let out a breath as most of the tension left his body. He sat on one of the couches, breathing deeply, calming his mind. Ten minutes later, when Mara stepped into his apartment, he was fairly sure that he looked like a normal human being and not an anxiety-ridden lunatic. “Hey,” he said, half-rising from the couch as she approached him. “What happened-” 

She barreled into him, pushing him back onto the couch and straddling him. Even as his body sizzled to life at the heat of her touch, he noticed with consternation that her face was angry, cold - _not what I usually like to see when a woman’s on top of me,_ he thought, unable to resist making jokes even in his own head. But before he could say another word, she grabbed his face, her fingers curving around his neck, and kissed him hard. 

Reyes opened his mouth instinctively, allowing her to plunge her tongue into his mouth. He gripped her hips, then slid his hands up her back, enjoying the heat of her kiss. But when he tried to cradle her neck with his hand, she broke the kiss, shoving his hand away roughly… _more roughly than usual,_ he thought, his confusion deepening. He pulled back, looking at Mara’s face. He felt chilled when he saw that she looked absolutely furious, her eyes burning with anger. “Mara, what is this? What's going on?” he demanded, concern cooling his lust. 

Mara didn't reply. Without saying a word, her face still cold with anger despite her sparking furious eyes, Mara peeled off her Initiative sweater in a single swift movement, her torso naked except for a black bra cupping her small, perfectly formed breasts. Suddenly she grabbed Reyes by the throat and forced his head back slightly, her grip not nearly hard enough to injure, but firm enough to make him alarmed. His eyes flew up to take in her stormy jade gaze. “You want to talk, or you want to fuck me?” she demanded, her slowly grinding hips on his lap a stark counterpoint to the danger in her face and in her grip on his throat. 

Feeling slightly perverse, Reyes realized that her dangerous mood was actually making him insanely horny. He just didn't understand what had put her into this mood… and he wasn't sure he should go along with it, though his body was clamouring for her. He tried to stammer a reply, but the seductive movement of her hips on his hardening cock was extremely distracting. “I… shouldn't we talk about this? You made it sound like something bad-” 

“Wrong answer,” Mara spat. She slid off his lap, unclasping her bra and shoving off her pants until she was naked except for black panties. Reyes’ eyes glazed over with lust as Mara straddled him again, raising herself high on her knees and placing her hands on the wall over his head, her breasts bobbing in his face. She brushed her hard, dusky nipples against his face, and he couldn't resist: he captured her left breast with his mouth, sucking firmly on her nipple and swirling his tongue around it, while his hands slid from her thighs over her ass and up along her back to her ribs, savouring the feel of her hot silky skin. 

Mara arched into his touch, her head falling back in ecstasy at the feel of his mouth on her skin. Reyes ran his thumb over her her right nipple before taking it in his mouth, nipping lightly. He eagerly pushed at her panties, and she lifted one knee so he could slide them down. Mara then pulled back slightly, tugging her nipple from his mouth, and grabbed his hard cock through his pants. She looked at him, her cheeks flushed with desire but her eyes still cold with an anger that Reyes didn’t understand. “You want to fuck me now?” she demanded, cupping his balls through the fabric of his pants. 

Reyes gasped, sensation flooding his body from the pressure of her hand on his groin. But he was still conflicted about whether it was okay to give in to what his body was screaming for. _I’m pretty sure this is a situation where Keema would tell me to talk about feelings,_ he thought vaguely, panting as Mara roughly started undoing his belt. “Mara, I - of course I want to, but - hold on a second-”

Mara looked up from his belt, a look of pure frustration and exasperation washing over her face. She grabbed his collar roughly, forcing him to look at her. “Reyes,” she said, her voice cold and dangerous, “Just stop. Talking. And take of your fucking clothes.”

 _Well, that’s clear enough, I guess,_ Reyes thought, and wasted no further time following her orders. He pulled of his jacket and shirt as Mara finished undoing his pants. He stood and kicked off his pants, then reached for her, intending to lead her towards the bed, but she shoved him back down on the couch. He sat heavily, her slow approach allowing him to admire every inch of her golden naked body… and especially her lovely pussy, which was level with his face from his seated position. He couldn’t resist; he grabbed her hips, pulling her towards him, and stroked his tongue along the length of her slick folds, savouring her shocked gasp of pleasure. 

Mara grabbed Reyes’ shoulder and hair for support as he continued to lap at her pussy. He savoured her salty-sweet flavour as he alternated between swirling his tongue in gentle circles around her swollen clit, and lapping along the length of her labia. His left hand held Mara’s hip, keeping her close, as he reached down to his hard shaft with this right hand and began to stroke himself firmly. A minute later, he could feel Mara’s thighs start to spasm, and he gently slid one finger inside of her, stroking firmly in the way he knew she loved. 

Mara suddenly cried out in climax, arching her back, and Reyes took her weight in both his hands as he continued to lap her clit, very gently, until the tension of her orgasm left her body. But Mara didn’t waste any time; she pushed his hands off her hips and grabbed his hard cock. She straddled Reyes again, and without a second’s hesitation, she lowered her sleek heat onto his hard shaft. 

Reyes and Mara both gasped at the pressure and heat as their bodies joined. There was no space for tenderness here; Mara grabbed Reyes’ hair roughly, dragging his head back and shoving her tongue into his mouth as she raised her pelvis and slammed back down onto his cock. He nipped Mara’s tongue with his teeth, palming her right breast roughly with one hand before sliding both hands down to her hips to guide the cradle of her hips against his. They fucked hard and fast, Mara’s right hand on Reyes’ neck and her left caressing her swollen clit as their climaxes built with every hard thrust. 

“Fuck, Mara,” gasped Reyes as his orgasm ripped through his body. He could feel her body spasming in simultaneous climax as she lowered her face and captured his mouth in a hot kiss. As their bodies stilled, the angry tension of Mara’s body finally gone, he wrapped arms around her waist, holding her tightly as they kissed. 

A few minutes later, Reyes lounged naked on the couch as Mara poured two glasses of water in the kitchen. “So… it seems like your mission went well,” he said slyly, hoping to coax her into talking with humour, since the serious approach had _not_ gone well. 

To his relief, Mara smiled ruefully at him as she approached, dressed in a large robe of Reyes’, the two glasses of water in her hands. She admired the hard lines of his naked body as he lay unselfconsciously sprawled on the couch. He sat up as she neared the couch, leaving room for her to sit beside him. Mara tucked her feet up under herself as she sat, and watched him idly for a moment as he lazily pulled on his pants. “We found the salarian ark,” she said baldly. 

Reyes eyes widened and he sat slowly back down on the couch. “What?”

“It was tethered to the Archon’s ship. We saved them - well, most of them - and their Pathfinder as well.” Mara paused, sipping from her glass, not meeting his eyes. “But… Drack’s scouts were there. And… I couldn’t save them.” She put her glass down and stood from the couch, rubbing her hair roughly in distress. “Reyes, this fucking ship… None of us imagined anything this horrifying. They did… research on the salarians.” She took a deep breath, rubbing her face.

Concerned, Reyes stood and reached for her. She shook her head, holding one hand up to keep him at bay. Then she spoke in a rush. “We found dead bodies. They were missing… SAM said their organs had been removed while they were alive. Then they died. From blood loss.” Suddenly she was sobbing. She covered her face with her hands and turned away from him. 

His heart breaking, Reyes grabbed her and pulled her close, perplexed when she tried to resist his comfort. “No, I don’t deserve… They deserved better from me,” she yelled, suddenly angry again, pushing at his chest. _She’s punishing herself for not saving everyone,_ he thought, distressed. “Mara,” he said firmly, holding her arms and pulling her to face him. She turned her face away in denial, but Reyes took her chin and firmly guided her face up to his so he could look into her green eyes, brilliant with tears. “The mission was a shitshow from the start,” he said bluntly. “You said so yourself. The odds were stacked against you, but you still saved a whole fucking arc. Nobody could have saved everyone.” 

To Reyes’ surprise, SAM’s voice filled the room. “Mr. Vidal is correct, Pathfinder. Our probability of success on this mission was very low. We succeeded at retrieving the artifact, and we retrieved the majority of the salarian population. It is very unlikely that any other team could have achieved these outcomes.”

“Thank you, SAM. See, SAM says you were successful.” Reyes stroked Mara’s hair back from her forehead and wiped her tears away with his thumb. To his relief, she had stopped resisting his comfort, and now she leaned into the warmth of his naked chest. But she wasn’t ready to forgive herself yet. “But Drack’s scouts… Andromeda was supposed to be a new start for them. Then they get shat on by the leadership… and I just left those scouts behind…” her voice wobbled and more tears spilled from her eyes.

SAM spoke again. “Ryder, you had to choose between Pathfinder Raeka and the Nakmor scouts. It was physically and temporally impossible to save them both.” 

_SAM is a fucking genius,_ thought Reyes. “Yeah,” he piped up, “What SAM said.”

Finally, at last, Mara laughed and she pinched his side playfully - a hiccuping laugh with a sob, but a laugh nevertheless. Reyes’ heart lifted at her fighter’s spirit, never letting her stay down for long. Mara drew back from Reyes, wiping her face on his robe. “Drack’s really angry,” she said in a small voice. “I… don’t want him to leave the Tempest. We need him.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “I need him. He’s like the awesome grandpa that you have to stop from getting into bar fights, but who also gives the best advice about… life. In general.” 

“Tell him that,” Reyes said, stroking the back of her neck affectionately. Then he was impressed by his own response. _Looks like Keema taught me something about feelings after all!_ “Just apologize and tell him that. I… don’t really know him, but I’m sure it’ll mean something to him.” 

Mara smiled at him, a true, grateful smile, and he couldn’t help but smile back. She nodded briskly, then shrugged off his robe - her nudity distracting him briefly - and started pulling her clothes back on. “We can’t stay long,” she told Reyes regretfully as she shrugged on her sweater. “The other Pathfinders and I are working on a project. We have to get to Meridian, now that we have the coordinates.” She looked up at Reyes, and her eyes were cold, businesslike, and dangerous, sparking a sense familiarity and a new simmering of lust. _When she’s cold and determined like this, she reminds me of… myself._ “Tann thinks it’s too much of risk to go to Meridian. Says we need to focus on the colonies.” She stood up straight and shook her her bangs briskly from her face, the calculating danger in her eyes making him catch his breath. “The colonies won’t survive if we don’t do this… so we’re going to Meridian anyway. Tann can fuck himself.”

Reyes chuckled and strode forward, hooking his hand around Mara’s neck and roughly pulling her against him. “I love it when you talk dirty,” he growled before kissing her fiercely. The ever-present electric current of heat between them sparked as she wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingers digging into his back as she kissed him uninhibitedly. 

Suddenly Reyes remembered something. He broke away from her kiss and scowled at her. “Wait. Didn’t you say you _died?_ What the fuck?” 

Mara smiled sheepishly. “Oh yeah. That. Uh… SAM can help me explain that one.” 

Reyes shook his head in exasperation. _This damn Pathfinder is going to keep me on my toes..._


	13. Lovefools

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyes Vidal and Mara Ryder get some blunt advice from friends as Mara continues her search for Meridian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BONUS: a brief romance scene with Peebee and Jaal! Does anybody else ship PB&J?

“You’re an idiot. You know that, right?”

Reyes glared at Keema, who looked totally unfazed. “I didn’t come here to be nagged. Do you have a guard you can spare or not? I have to take care of the one at Ditaeon who was stealing from the stores.” 

“Yes, yes - take your pic from the roster. Everyone’s falling over themselves to get on the Charlatan’s good side.” She drew on her cigar and blew the smoke in his direction. “You’re still an idiot. Why haven’t you told her how you feel?”

Reyes sank onto the top stop of the dais in Keema’s office with a disgruntled sigh. _I knew I shouldn’t have had that ryncol last night,_ he thought. He’d met with Keema at Kralla’s Song last night for a very overdue social call; they’d both been so busy lately, with Reyes managing their various cells of operations as well as the outpost security, and Keema with the port and more ‘legitimate’ business ventures, that they hadn’t had a chance to catch up for almost two weeks. Unfortunately, their get-together last night had also been the day after Mara had left for Meridian, and Reyes had been… a little mopey. The ryncol - which Reyes had developed a taste for, after his impromptu drinking session with Liam and Drack - had pushed him into absolutely maudlin territory, and he may have drunkenly confessed to Keema that he and Mara hadn’t had The Talk about their relationship status… or about the fact that Reyes really loved her.

When Reyes didn’t say anything, Keema continued. “So she spends her downtime with you. What about all the rest of the time when she’s not here? How do you know she doesn’t have some other debonair bad boy on Elaaden? Or on Eos? I’m sure there are a lot of very grateful colonists in that quaint little Prodromos who would be only too happy to hero-worship the Pathfinder.” 

Reyes rubbed his forehead in frustration, biting his tongue. He knew Keema was only trying to make a point; she had already told him, in a previous conversation, that she was sure Mara had eyes for nobody but him, that she’d known it even from the night of Sloane’s party months ago. But Keema, in her ongoing crusade to rehabilitate his terrible emotional and communication habits, thought Reyes was taking Mara’s feelings for granted. He had a vague memory of Keema pointing out last night that Mara always came to Kadara to see him, but he never left this place to see her. He had no defense for this point. Sure, the Charlatan was busy, but she was the fucking _Pathfinder_. She was the busiest Milky Way expat in the galaxy. What was his excuse?

If Reyes was brutally honest with himself, he was only angry with Keema because she was right. He had always meant to have a conversation with Mara about “what are we” and all that shit… but they never quite got around to it. They had so many other things to talk about: their life stories, their work, new information they were learning every day about the angara and this galaxy - not to mention the considerable amount of time they spent with their clothes off and their mouths otherwise occupied - that their relationship status just… hadn’t come up. 

Reyes knew it was a weak excuse. But Keema’s words hit him hard, especially since he didn’t really have… the best history with his past liaisons. In truth, his 2-month relationship with Mara was the longest he’d ever been with the same woman. He knew that this relationship was different from all the others, but how was Mara to know that? He knew she’d been unsettled about his relationship with Zia, but they hadn’t talked about that even after Zia was dead. 

Keema was winding down in her diatribe: “...if you discover that she’s suddenly changed her mind and decided to hedge her bets on that cute little Liam or Jaal instead of you, don’t come crying to me for sympathy.” She looked at him, her expression severe but so sisterly that despite his annoyance, Reyes couldn’t help but feel a rush of affection for her. Since he had no words with which to defend himself, he didn’t bother. He stood from the dais, nodded in a resigned manner, and headed for the door. 

“Reyes.”

Reyes turned as Keema stood from her throne and approached him, her eyes soft and conciliatory. “You’re a _good man_ , Reyes Vidal. You deserve to be happy. Don’t fuck yourself over for no good reason.” She offered her arm in an angaran handshake. 

To Keema’s surprise, Reyes responded by reaching out and pulling her into a tight hug. Touched by his open affection, she hugged him back firmly. After a moment, Keema gently pushed him away, patting his cheek clumsily as she brushed her eyes with an impatient hand. “All right, that’s enough, you loser. Get out of here. You’ve got work to do.” They grinned at each other, and Reyes finally took his leave. 

************

Mara stepped into the tech lab and approached Jaal as he tinkered at his workbench. Jaal had wholeheartedly agreed to join her and Cora when they eventually went to Meridian, and she wanted his input on some angaran armour she was considering crafting for the upcoming mission. She had become comfortable with a set of Remnant armour she’d crafted using intel that SAM had picked up from the artifacts on the Archon’s flagship, but she was considering integrating more angaran tech innovations into her gear. 

“Ryder!” Jaal greeted her heartily. “Do you need something? I can stop what I’m doing.” 

Mara smiled fondly at Jaal. She could never get over his open, passionate approach to everything and everyone. It was so damned refreshing. “Jaal, I’m thinking of crafting an angaran helmet instead of my Remnant one - do you think it’s a good idea? Or would I need to extensively mod the helmet?”

Jaal frowned thoughtfully. “Which model of helmet did you have in mind?” Mara and Jaal pored over the blueprints on her omni-tool, with Jaal helping Mara to settle on an angaran commando helmet with an extra shield boost modification. 

At that moment, the door to the tech lab slid open and Peebee sidled in. “Oh, Jaal? Do you want to finish that vid we were watching yesterday? We won’t have time before-” She stopped short when she saw Mara. To Mara’s utter delight, Peebee’s cornflower-blue skin darkened as she blushed deeply. 

“Peebee!” Jaal exclaimed, his voice and face so damn _happy_ that Mara almost hugged him. _He is so fucking adorable I can’t even deal._ “Come in, come in!” Jaal turned to Mara eagerly. “Ryder, Peebee and I have been watching an angaran drama series. Peebee said she does not usually commit to watching an entire season of a show, but she has been very patient with the one we are watching now. It is my favourite.” Jaal turned back towards the door. “Peebee, should we invite-” He stopped short when he noticed that Peebee was gone. 

Mara’s stomach hurt with the effort of not laughing at the bewildered look on Jaal’s face. _These two are the cutest but weirdest couple I have ever seen,_ she thought. Peebee was completely impossible with serious emotions, but her reaction just now showed without a doubt that she had deep feelings for Jaal. _So much for travelling light!_ Mara thought, highly amused. _And if there’s anyone who can handle Peebee’s mercurial moods, it’s Jaal._ “Don’t worry about it, Jaal - I’ll let Peebee know we’re done so you can watch your show.” Mara headed towards the door. 

“Actually, Ryder - can I speak to you for a moment?”

“Sure, Jaal. What’s up?” 

Jaal looked pensive. He paused for a moment, then looked up at Mara. “Ryder, I adore Peebee.” 

It was too much for Mara. Peebee’s blush, Jaal’s openness, the sheer juxtaposition of their personalities: it was like a romantic comedy vid. Mara’s laughter rolled out from her belly before she could stop it. 

Jaal, the mature adult that he was, waited patiently for Mara to regain her senses. Once Mara was in control again, Jaal continued, “I know Peebee has feelings for me. But I also know that another person has hurt her deeply. I am happy to wait until Peebee is ready.” He looked at Mara with concern. “I do not ask Peebee about… Kalinda… because she runs away when the subject arises. But is there something else I can do to make her comfortable around me?” 

Mara’s heart melted. _He really is the galaxy’s most perfect man,_ she thought fondly. _I can see why those two women on Aya were trying to strategize about catching him._ Then Mara’s thoughts strayed to Reyes - his flirtatious winks and his cold-blooded murders, his subterfuge and his tender hand cradling her neck. _Then again, there are many kinds of perfect…_

Mara forced her attention back to the matter at hand. “I think you're doing exactly the right things with Peebee,” Mara assured Jaal. “She'll come around, I'm sure of it. She just needs time to work out her skittishness.” Mara looked affectionately at her angaran friend. “I'm sure she adores you too, Jaal. I see how she looks at you. It's just a matter of time.” 

Jaal nodded thoughtfully, then eyed Mara speculatively. “So… Reyes Vidal?” he said, his voice uncharacteristically sly, reminding her of Vetra. _This crew has been spending too much time together,_ she thought ruefully. But Jaal continued. “I did not think he was your type.” 

Mara looked at Jaal, surprised. “Why would you say that?” 

Jaal shrugged, his face thoughtful. “Angaran men are steadfast.” He smiled teasingly at Mara. “Cora says you like bad boys.” 

_Ugh, Cora would!_ thought Mara in exasperation. _And Reyes is steadfast with me. Cora just hasn't bothered to spend any time getting to know him._ “I'm gonna have to have a word with Cora,” Mara muttered. “And probably Lexi too.” _Lexi’ll probably slap me on the wrist for getting involved with someone off the ship… she'll probably want to do a medical on Reyes!_ Mara smirked at the thought. 

“You love him.” Jaal’s confident statement retrieved Mara from her thoughts. She could feel her cheeks getting hot as she looked up at Jaal. He observed her face, the chuckled when she didn't deny it. “Great,” Mara muttered, “now everyone knows it except Reyes.” 

Jaal tilted his head in confusion at this. “Why do you think he does not know?”

Mara fiddled with her jacket zipper, not meeting Jaal’s eyes. “Well… because I haven't told him.” Before Jaal could say anything, Mara rushed on. “It just hasn't come up! We're too busy talking about other things and… doing other stuff.” _And maybe… I'm scared to put myself out there. It's only been two months…_ she thought a bit wistfully.

Jaal confused for a moment, then chuckled when he realized the sensual connotation of ‘other stuff’. “Ryder,” he finally said, his face serious, “I feel that it's important for you to tell Reyes how you feel.” 

_Oh no, here he comes again with the “angara are very free with their feelings”,_ Mara thought, already feeling cowed by Jaal’s superior emotional expressiveness. But to her surprise, Jaal sighed and took a tack she didn't expect. 

“Ryder… we are following a dangerous path with our pursuit of Meridian. We can make our plans, and we can have the best armour possible. But we cannot anticipate everything.” He looked at her with serious, sad eyes, and in their quixotic cerulean depths, Mara could see how haunted he still was by his father’s disappearance so many years ago, and by the truth about exaltation. “We may think we have time - time to tell the people we love that we love them. But… we may be wrong.” 

Mara stared up at Jaal, chastised and speechless at his sorrowful words. He gazed down at her, the sadness in his face driving his point home. Then he took a deep breath, and a new, optimistic determination lit his face. “I will follow my own advice, Ryder. I will tell Peebee how I feel and that I wish to be with her for as long as she will have me. I don't want to miss my chance.” He smiled gently at Ryder. “Let me know if you decide to do the same.”

Mara impulsively gave Jaal a grateful hug, which he returned with easy angaran affection. As she pulled away, Mara couldn't help but warn Jaal: “Peebee might run for it if you lay your cards all out on the table.” 

Jaal smiled confidently at Mara. “Ryder, do not be concerned. I know myself. And I know Peebee. Even if she’s scared, even if she hides for a little bit, I know she will come back, because she is brave.” 

As Mara took her leave, she pondered Jaal’s words. He had made a really excellent point. But she couldn't help but wonder… In her relationship with Reyes, who was the Peebee and who was the Jaal? _Or are we both Jaal and don't know it? But if we don't know it, how can we be Jaal? He knows everything. Oh god, what am I even saying?_

Mara’s spinning, confused thoughts were thankfully interrupted by SAM’s cool voice. “Ryder, we are nearing the Civki system. The Pathfinders will wish to speak with you before we engage.” 

Mara ruffled her bangs and straightened her posture, snapping into Pathfinder mode. “Of course. SAM, tell the team to gather in the meeting room - we’ll be hitting Meridian before the day is out.”

*****************

> To: Reyes Vidal  
>  From: Mara Ryder  
>  Subject: Didn’t die this time!
> 
> This mission was… not straightforward. But when is it ever?
> 
> The Remnant city we landed on was not what we thought. And the angara are more than we thought. That’s all I’ll say now. Can’t wait to tell you more in a couple of days.
> 
> Keep your eyes and ears out. I’ll see you soon.
> 
> Ryder xx

Reyes sprinted down the hillside towards his shuttle. As he approached the shuttle, he slowed down to a more decorous walk and ran his hand through his sweat-dampened hair, pushing it into a semblance of its usual sleekness. He slid into the shuttle quickly and called Robert as he brought the shuttle thrumming to life.

As soon as Reyes heard Robert’s gruff voice, he launched into instructions. “Get a crew up to the navpoint I’m sending you now. Clean-up job. Keep one hand - the one with the tattoo. We’ll deliver it to the cell that Crux discovered two days ago.” Robert grunted confirmation and the two men hung up. 

Reyes threw the shuttle into gear and headed back towards the port. _Of course the Tempest has to land right when I'm elbow-deep in some asshole’s blood._ An Outcast infiltrator had been hacking the terminals at Ditaeon, and Reyes had chosen to take care of it. Most of the Collective knew him as a lesser representative of the Charlatan, so he had to play the part by doing his own dirty work sometimes. 

Reyes had been waiting with increasing impatience for the Tempest’s return. Almost three weeks had passed since the Tempest had left, and Mara’s last email had been 5 days ago. He'd thrown himself headlong into work to try and get his mind off her. Today’s gory assignment was one of the first times in two weeks that he had actually felt focused on something other than Mara. _Although that woman is never really out of my head..._

Keema’s words had been percolating in Reyes’ brain ever since she’d chewed him out a couple weeks ago. Combined with their three-week separation, Reyes felt absolutely desperate to see Mara again… and he didn't want to take the coward’s way out this time. He was determined that he’d find some time to tell her how he felt: that he wanted her, and only her, and forever. _Is that cheesy?_ he wondered to himself. _She's more than just my girlfriend… ‘girlfriend’ is such a weak word._ He smirked to himself as he lowered the shuttle hastily into the western docking bay near Keema’s office, remembering ruefully how he had tried to minimize Zia’s importance when Umi had brought her up months ago in Kralla’s Song… back before he and Mara had even kissed. He flung himself out of the shuttle, waving a hasty greeting at the docking bay attendant (whom Reyes bribed to ‘ignore’ his incoming and outgoing cargo) and pelting towards his apartment. _No time to shower, but I can at least change my jacket,_ he thought feverishly. 

Reyes could see the sleek lines of the Tempest as he quickly walked back towards the eastern docking bay, where the larger ships made port. He stepped through the door to the bay… 

And there she was, his Pathfinder, stepping out of the lift into the port, her crew in tow, chatting and laughing with each other. The Tempest was only stopping briefly while they waited for SAM to analyze some data probes from the Scourge, so Reyes knew he wouldn't have much time with Mara. He greedily drank in the sight of her as she threw her head back in laughter at some exchange Drack and Vetra were sharing, then punched Liam in the arm playfully in the arm. Then she turned and met his eyes… and her face lit up, her green eyes brighter than the stars over Kadara, her full mouth curling into a sexy smile. 

Reyes wasted no time. Without breaking eye contact with her, he strode forward, ignoring the people who had to hastily step out of his way, ignoring her crew as he drew level with them, his entire being focused on nothing but her. Before Mara could more than open her mouth to greet him, his left hand was at her neck, his thumb gently encircling her throat, as he backed her into the wall roughly and kissed her passionately. She arched the length of her body against him automatically, her arms curving around him to grip his jacket at the back. Reyes relished in the fullness of her lips, tugging her lower lip gently with his teeth before allowing her to delve her tongue into his mouth. 

One hour (but really, one minute) later, Reyes heard a sarcastic “ahem” (Vetra) and some scattered applause (Peebee, Jaal, and Liam, and apparently a few random bystanders). Reyes and Mara broke apart, Mara laughing, her cheeks pink with joyful embarrassment. “You looked like you were waiting for someone,” she greeted him. He laughed, then kissed her again briefly. “I couldn't wait,” he confessed, pressing his forehead to hers. Out of the periphery of his vision, he saw her crew members drifting off towards the port. She grinned up at him, her hand clasping his left hand at her neck. Suddenly, she pulled back with a small frown and wiped gingerly at his forehead. “What's that on your face…? Reyes, is that blood?” 

With a sudden shock of horror, Reyes realized he hadn't even looked in the mirror before running over to the docking bay. “Oh fuck,” he breathed as took his left hand from her neck to rub his forehead near his hairline. _I must have gotten that Outcast fucker’s blood on my face…_ With mounting dismay, he remembered running his hand through his hair as he ran to his shuttle. He looked at his fingers and sighed: _yep, Outcast fucker’s blood._ He looked up again at Mara to see her eyebrows drawn in concern. “It's not mine,” he blurted, wanting to reassure her… then winced as he realized that that might sound even worse. “I was on a job,” he tried to explain. “I heard you were landing and I didn't have time to shower - I forgot…” He trailed off as he noticed Mara eyeing his right hand, which, tucked in his pocket, had been noticeably non-participatory in their reunion. 

With a sigh of resignation, he took his right hand out of his pocket and showed it to Mara. It was streaked with blood and dirt. Reyes bit his lip as Mara drew back from it in surprise. “I was working…” he said again, lamely. He couldn't meet her eye as he awaited her judgment.

To his surprise, Mara gave a sudden snort of laughter. He looked at her, stunned, as she patted his cheek fondly. “You’re gross,” she informed him briskly. “You need a shower. I'm not touching any more of your body until you're clean.” She ran her hot gaze along his body, causing a streak of heat to run down his body to his cock. She cocked one eyebrow at him, her lips pursed into a sexy pout. “Why don't you shower on the Tempest? It's empty now… even Kallo and Suvi have gone for some shore leave.” Speechless, Reyes stared at her as she tilted her head slightly back towards the Tempest, her eyes suggestive. She turned and started back towards the Tempest.

“You aren't mad?” Reyes blurted. He wasn't ashamed of himself - he knew what he was - _a murderer and a thief_ \- and how to do what was necessary to ensure Kadara’s survival. But despite Mara’s assurances, half of him was always expecting Mara to get fed up with his double life and his necessary brutality, and leave him. But Mara looked back at him, half turning back towards him. She frowned slightly. “Reyes, I know about your work. I meant it when I said it was okay.” He knew she was avoiding saying anything more specific in public, but her soft, affectionate eyes spoke volumes. She smiled softly. “Come shower. I'll give you the tour.” 

Reyes’ heart swelled with emotion as he grabbed her arm with his filthy right hand and pulled her back towards him. This time, he wasn't going to keep his feelings inside. “Mara, I love you.” 

Mara stumbled against his chest as he pulled her close. She beamed up at him, her eyes shining, her cheeks flushing again. “Everyone is watching,” she murmured in his ear, her eyes darting around the busy docking bay. 

“I don't give a shit,” Reyes proclaimed loudly, glancing around to see Vetra still nearby checking some crates, smirking slightly, and Jaal and Peebee openly watching them by the nearby balcony, not to mention a handful of locals. He looked down at Mara’s beautiful face. “Let them watch. I'll tell the whole damn port. I love you.” Reyes kissed her fiercely, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off her feet.

Mara wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into his kiss enthusiastically. Reyes felt the familiar heat and chemistry of her touch infusing his body, his skin thrilling at the caress of her hands on his neck, at the pressure of her firm petite body against his. He set her down and pulled slowly away from her lips, both of them slightly breathless. Mara beamed at him. “Reyes, I-” 

But Reyes interrupted her with a sexy chuckle. “Ryder, don't go saying something cheesy now. Just live in the moment.” _I don't want her to say she loves me just because I did. I want her to mean it._ He kissed her again, his tongue gliding alongside hers until they were both breathless again. Then Mara broke away from him with a shaky laugh. “Let's go inside,” she chirped, grabbing his bloody right hand. And glowing with happiness, Reyes and Mara ran back to the Tempest.

************ 

Jaal sighed with satisfaction and turned to look down at Peebee, admiring Peebee’s diminutive form, chock-full of sass and enthusiasm for life. She was watching Reyes and Ryder as they hurried back to the Tempest. Jaal’s gaze travelled over her face: her lips twisted into a lopsided smirk of amusement, the warm hazel of her eyes enhanced by the ever-present band of black across her eyes. For once, her face was relaxed and mellow with contentment - a sharp contrast to her usual facial expressions of tense excitement or intense focus. Jaal gazed at her in open admiration and basked in the sheer joy of staring at the person he loved. 

Finally, as Ryder and Reyes disappeared, Peebee gave a satisfied sigh and leaned back against the balcony, her elbows casually hanging over the railings. She looked up at Jaal, a dimple forming at the left corner of her mouth as she smiled. “Saw that one coming,” she quipped. “I just hope they stick to Ryder’s quarters. Having sex all over the ship would be so rude, doncha think?” 

Jaal didn't reply, but slowly moved to stand in front of Peebee’s casually lounging form. He stepped closer to her, his thighs grazing hers as he raised his hand and gently cupped her cheek with unbearable tenderness. Peebee didn't flinch or pull away; Jaal had known she wouldn't. _My brave asari academic,_ he thought. She gazed up at him, her eyes serious now and - so rare for Peebee - trusting. She gave him a teasing half-smile. “I bet I can guess what you're going to say.” 

Jaal chuckled at that; a deep, rumbling chuckle that never failed to makes Peebee’s nerves thrill with pleasure. “You can guess if you want, my darling one.” 

As always when Jaal called her this pet name, her heart melted a bit. _Never thought I'd be one for mushy nicknames,_ Peebee thought to herself with amusement. Peebee opened her mouth, trying to come up with a witty remark… and realized that for once, she didn't want to make a witty remark. She didn't want to hide behind jokes. She just wanted Jaal to speak. 

When Peebee said nothing, Jaal chuckled again. “Speechless for once?” he teased, stroking her crest affectionately. Then he grew serious again. “Peebee… you are a remarkable, exciting, brilliant woman… and I adore you. I know you have been hurt… but you will never be hurt by me. I want us to be together. And I will wait for you if you need time.” 

Peebee lowered her eyes and Jaal patiently waited in silence, still cupping her cheek. A minute later, Peebee slowly removed her arms from their casual position on the balcony and gently slid her hands around Jaal’s waist. Finally, she looked up at Jaal. Her eyes burned with sweet heat and affection. “I… I want that too, Jaal.” She took a deep breath, and Jaal stroked her neck, sensing her vulnerability. Then she met his eyes again. “Jaal… has anyone told you anything about… embracing eternity?” 

**************** 

Mara lay on her back, blissfully sated, her sweat cooling on her skin as she waited for Reyes to return from the galley with a snack. She stretched luxuriously, thinking blissfully of Reyes proudly telling the port he loved her. She felt like her heart would burst with joy. She had wanted to say it back immediately - after all, it was true! - but Reyes had stopped her. But Mara was determined for him to know she felt the same way. _I have no secrets, Charlatan,_ she thought fondly.

A minute later, Reyes entered, his chest bare, his half-buttoned pants slung low around his hips and a lock of shower-damp hair hanging over one eye. _Hot damn,_ Mara thought happily, _I just want this man to fuck me… again._ He gave a lionlike toss of his head as he approached the bed, carrying a bowl of hydroponic grapes and a large glass of water. “I found some Earth-grown popcorn, but someone put a sign on it that said ‘DON’T TOUCH, FOR MOVIE NIGHT ONLY’.” He raised an eyebrow as he plopped back down on the bed. “You know I can get you that stuff for free whenever you want, right?” 

Mara smiled at him, reaching up to run her fingers over his jaw. He pretended to bite her fingers, making her laugh, then popped a grape into his mouth as he lay on his side beside her. “I know,” Mara said as Reyes smoothed his hand over the sheet covering her belly, “but it was a special favour for Vee before we knew you well.” 

“Ahh. Tell Vetra I can get graxen for her on the cheap. Special colleague’s price.” 

Mara poked his side, making him curl away from the tickle. “So I get snacks for free, but Vee only gets a discount? That's nepotism!” 

Reyes swiftly rolled back, pinning Mara’s hands to the mattress, the looming shape of his shoulders and his dominant grip in her wrists making her gasp as lust, ever-present, sent a thrill through her body and a surge of heat between her thighs. He lowered his face until his lips grazed her ear. “Are you complaining?” he purred, his rich, deep growl making her arch towards him. 

“Nope, no complaints at all,” she gasped breathlessly as he traced the line of her neck with the tip of his tongue. 

“Good,” Reyes murmured silkily before catching her lips in a brief kiss. He pulled away slowly, then smiled at her before irreverently offering her the bowl of grapes.

Mara let out a shuddering breath, calming her arousal before rolling towards him and plucking a grape from the bowl. “Spoilsport,” she said, her voice strained with lust. 

Reyes winked cheekily at her before reclining back against the headboard, the bowl of grapes in his lap. Mara shuffled up to curl up against him, and for a couple is minutes they are grapes in comfortable companionship. 

Then Mara asked a question she had thought about a few times before. “Reyes… what would happen if Keema decided she no longer wanted to answer to you? What if she decided she wanted something different for the Kadaran angara and it didn't fit with… your plans?” 

Reyes chewed a grape slowly. “I've thought about that myself,” he said hesitantly. “I've already thought through the possibilities… including the worst possible idea…” He was referring to the unthinkable: assassinating Keema. But aside from the thought being abhorrent - after all, Keema was his family - it also made no sense for Kadara’s wellbeing. “Keema’s leadership is one of the main reasons the local angara are comfortable with our presence here. If she… disappeared, it would be obvious the Collective had done it, and that would mean war on Kadara - which would mean disaster for the outpost as well as for me.” 

Mara nodded, privately in total agreement and happy that Reyes felt the same. “But then what would you do? If Keema was to stay in power… what… would you do instead?” She found it hard to imagine Reyes without his dozens of business deals occupying his time. 

Reyes gently rolled Mara onto her back and propped himself over her on his elbows. “Maybe I’d join you here on the Tempest.” He smiled winningly, but she could see the implicit question in his eyes. “I could clean your cabin… modify your guns… fuck you at your beck and call…” He ducked his head down and traced her dusky nipple with his tongue, making her gasp involuntarily. He raised his head again, his eyes glowing with satisfaction, but that unanswered question in his face giving him an air of vulnerability. “Would the Pathfinder ever take the Charlatan as a squadmate?” he asked, his voice a sexual growl. But she knew what he was really asking: _Would Mara accept him on the Tempest? Would she have him at her side, day in and day out, as a member of her most trusted team?_

Through her lust, a throb of love made her heart thump. She hooked her hand around Reyes’ neck and pulled him down to her lips. “The Pathfinder would be happy to have a man with such specialized skills as a part of her crew,” she replied huskily. She swallowed, slightly nervous, then added: “And I would never say no to having the man I love by my side.”

Reyes drew back, his eyes searching her face eagerly. When he saw the sincere blaze of love and affection in her face, he grinned back, his face glowing with happiness. He kissed her, and it was with more tenderness and emotion than she'd ever felt… and Mara knew that no matter what challenges they'd have to face when the Scourge data probes finally finished collating, she would always be able to count on Reyes Vidal - smuggler, information broker, skilled killer, and love of her life - to have her back.


	14. A call for allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara Ryder tries to cope with the stress of Scott's abduction, and Reyes suddenly being MIA when she needs him most.

“Mar, it’ll be simple, I’m sure of it. Barge in, find Meridian, kill dudes as needed, rinse and repeat. You got this!” 

Mara rolled her eyes, a fond smile tugging at her lips as she lightly punched Scott in the arm. Mara had had some errands to run on the Nexus before heading back to the Remnant City, but those had really just been an excuse to visit Scott. Mara and her team had been so busy that she’d only been able to visit Scott two or three times since he’d woken up, and the first time she’d seen him, he’d still been pretty dopey from the coma. There was so much uncertainty about what would happen when they found Meridian that Mara wanted to make sure to get in some face time with her twin before flying out again. 

“You can’t punch me, I’m still an invalid!” Scott winced in mock pain and rolled away from Mara on his bed in the cryo bay. 

Mara laughed. “I swear you’re milking this hospital stay for all it’s worth. Hasn’t Harry cleared you for any kind of activity? You’re getting soft.”

“I heard that.” Harry Carlyle’s calm, friendly voice floated over from his location at the medical terminals behind them. “Scott’s allowed to do whatever activity is prescribed by his physiotherapist and personal trainer. And yes, that allows for moderate exercise.” Harry glanced mock-sternly at Scott. “So you should probably get up and go for your morning walk with Mara. It is 10:30, after all.” 

“Aww Doc, why'd you have to sell me out like that?” Scott said plaintively. He smiled cheekily at Mara. “This has been my first R-and-R break in years. What happened to relax and heal?” 

“Ugh, Scott, you're so lazy!” Mara declared, tugging her tall brother by the arm until he grudgingly stood. In truth, Scott was one of the most diligent, hard-working people she knew; he reminded her of Cora that way, and she knew that this similarity was part of what made Mara and Cora such good friends. Scott took his duties and obligations seriously and always earnestly did his best to fulfill everyone’s expectations. He was generally known as the Quiet Twin, being less bolshy and more reserved than Mara. But in private or with close friends, Scott’s irreverent sense of humour was an exact match of Mara’s. Although Scott and Mara were equally observant and analytical, Mara tended to vocalize her opinions more openly, whereas Scott would reserve judgment until he felt that he had full information about a given situation. Mara was excited for when Scott was cleared for duties, as she knew their complementary personalities would make him a great addition to her Tempest team. 

The twins sauntered out of the cryo bay, Mara’s hand hooked companionably in Scott’s crooked arm, and together they trammed to the docking bay for a stroll. Mara had already filled him in on her upcoming mission and the ongoing developments at each of the outposts, so she and Scott chatted about Nexus goings-on: gossip Scott had heard while hanging out in the cryo bay; the progress of Dr. Camden’s hydroponics research; how the new angara residents were settling in. 

The Ryder siblings settled at the second floor railing directly overlooking the docking bay to watch the ships coming and going. Mara regarded Scott out of the corner of her eye. He stood tall at 6’2”, his skin golden and healthy, in stark contrast to his pallor while in the coma. He had regained most of his stamina, but had lost considerable muscle mass during his prolonged hospitalization, and was still trying to rebuild his strength. 

“I can't wait to get out there with you guys,” he said wistfully, his green eyes watching the departing ships. “I don’t want to push myself too hard, but it’s tough to think of you guys out there, seeing all this crazy stuff… And _you_ risking your neck every day,” he added, looking at Mara with concern. He shook his head in disappointment. “Our first chance to work together, and in a new galaxy, and I miss out because of a cryo pod problem! It sucks, Mar.” He sighed and nudged her shoulder apologetically with his. “I’m sorry I can't have your back out there. I know Cora and all the others are more than capable - hell, Cora’s more capable than me with her commando training… I just… really wanted to have your back.”

Mara squeezed Scott’s arm consolingly. “It’s not your fault, Scotty - it was shitty luck. You’ll join us soon enough. And I’m in good hands with Vee and Cora and Drack and all the others. I’m sure everything will be fine.” But Mara couldn’t help but feel a twinge of trepidation. Suvi and SAM’s Scourge data analysis was as rock-solid as any predictive model could be, but… _What if we aren’t able to find Meridian? What will the fate of the outposts be if we can’t stabilize the terraforming network?_

Scott, always sensitive to the moods and thoughts of the people around him, noticed Mara’s slight frown. He bumped her shoulder encouragingly with his own. “I know what you’re thinking. You’ve done everything you can to prepare, Mar. You’ve controlled everything you possibly could. No point worrying about things you can’t control, hey? Let’s just hope for the best.” 

“I know, I know…” Mara sighed in frustration. “It’s just hard to not worry, you know? I should have had Reyes teach me his meditation technique. He has this breathing technique that helps him calm his mind. He’s been using it since he was a teenager… he’s really good at it...” Mara trailed off. She could feel her cheeks pinkening as she mentioned Reyes to her brother. Scott hadn’t met Reyes yet - obviously, given Reyes’ occupation and Scott’s being confined to the Nexus - but it still felt weird that the two most significant men in her life only knew of each other from tidbits she had shared with each of them. 

Scott smirked in brotherly playfulness at her reddened cheeks. “Awwww, my big baby sis is blushing,” he taunted, his pet name referencing the fact that 2-minutes-older sister was almost a foot shorter than him. Mara rolled her eyes as her face reddened further and reached up to push at Scott’s face. He ducked away, laughing, and ruffled her hair, making her squawk and pull away. “It’ll be fun to meet this Reyes guy when you aren’t both so busy. Hey, can he send me some Earth popcorn? The hydroponics stuff that Camden and Vorn are developing is good, but I wanna be a hipster and eat some of the Earth-grown stuff just because I can.” 

Mara laughed and shook her head in mock censure. “I don’t want to encourage him. He’s already cocky enough about having more connections than Vetra. He puts the ‘smug’ in smuggler.” Mara hadn’t yet told Scott that Reyes was the Charlatan; Scott only knew that Reyes was a very skilled smuggler and informant for the Resistance. Mara had decided to wait until Scott was an official member of the Tempest crew before sharing that confidential information with him. She had reasoned that the information was safest remaining within the Tempest, as they - and Reyes’ trusted circle - were still the only ones who knew the Charlatan’s true identity. But she felt terribly guilty about lying to Scott, particularly since her reasons for the deception were personal as well: she didn’t want Scott to worry any more than he already did while he was stuck on the Nexus and unable to meet Reyes for himself. Although Scott always tried to logic Mara out of worrying about things she couldn’t control, he was guilty himself of similar worrying when it came to Mara. She still wasn’t sure whether her decision to keep the truth from Scott had been the right thing to do, but now it felt too late, and she figured she might as well wait until the two men could meet on neutral ground (i.e. _not_ on the Nexus where the administration had eyes and ears all over the place).

At that moment, SAM piped up. “Pathfinder, our departure time is in 30 minutes exactly. It would be advisable to make our way to the gate.” 

“Thanks, SAM,” Mara replied. She turned to Scott with a resigned smile. “All right, baby bro… you better be getting back to the cryo bay. I’ll see you when this mission is over, okay?” 

Scott swept her up and hugged her tightly, squeezing the breath out of her until she coughed out a laugh and hit his back. “Kick some ass, big baby sis! You’ll be great,” he added firmly, looking her directly in the eye as he set her back on her feet. “You prepared really well, Mar. You will be great.” 

Mara took a deep breath and met his eyes gratefully. “Okay. Okay, you’re right.” She exhaled and pinched his cheek before heading for the stairs. “You keep getting better. Maybe you can come down to Kadara after this, get your feet wet with some real work!”

Scott smiled, waving her off. “I’ll hold things down here while you’re gone. You know how exciting things can be here on the Nexus! Adventure, enemies, gun fights… the usual, you know.” The twins shared a sardonic smirk, then parted ways as Mara went to meet the rest of the crew.

***********************

The sound of shouts and gunfire faded as Scott jogged through the maintenance shaft towards the QEC room, automatically checking each corner before turning. Meanwhile, his thoughts churned madly over the information SAM had conveyed to him: that the Archon had purposely allowed Mara and the Tempest to find Meridian, and had cut Mara’s connection to SAM. SAM’s words haunted Scott, rolling over in his mind in a horrible spiral: _The Archon isn’t stealing the Hyperion. He wants you and me. Your implant is the same as the Pathfinder’s. He’ll use us to control Meridian, and your sister will die. Losing me will kill her._ But once Scott keyed in the override to restore SAM to Mara’s implant, the Archon would know where Scott was… and all Scott knew for sure was that whatever came next wouldn't be pretty. 

Scott’s heart ached at the thought that he and his sister might never see each other again. _If the override works, she should be okay, but the Hyperion might not... and if I don't get to the override in time, Mara is done for. All I can do is hope for the best._ Scott reflected on the irony that he had told Mara something similar before they had parted ways. _But the circumstances had been significantly less dire at the time… Damn it, we couldn't have known._ Scott only wished he and Mara had had more time to talk, to catch up, before… all of this. _I can't even say goodbye to her…_

Suddenly, Scott remembered someone who would be able to pass a message on to Mara in case… the worst came to pass. Scott hastily pulled up his omni-tool and dialled Reyes Vidal. Mara had given Scott his contact information “for all your smuggling needs,” she’d said jokingly, but Scott knew it was to pacify him in case of emergencies. _Well, if this doesn't qualify as an emergency, I don't know what does,_ Scott thought as he waited for a response. 

After 5 seconds, the call was picked up. “Vidal,” a deep voice barked. Mildly startled at this abrupt greeting, Scott glanced around another corner - _clear_ \- then spoke into his omni-tool. “Reyes Vidal? This is Scott Ryder.” 

“Scott?” Reyes’ tone was much less brisk, but more concerned. “What is it? Is something wrong?” 

“Mara is in trouble,” Scott said tersely as he darted into the QEC. It was deserted. Over their private channel, SAM instructed Scott to go to the terminal at the left of the entrance. “The Archon severed SAM from her implant. SAM was… really integrated into Mara’s nervous system. I'll reboot the connection and she should be fine. But…” He took a deep breath, steeling himself for these words, potentially his last ones to his sister, conveyed via his sister’s lover. “There are kett on the Hyperion. They're coming for me. I-” 

“What??” Reyes exploded. “There are fucking kett on the fucking Hyperion?” 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Scott couldn't help but smile. Reyes’ reaction was so utterly similar to what Mara’s would be in this situation, right down to his excessive swearing. “Yes. The kett boarded the Hyperion. Listen, Reyes…” Scott swallowed hard around the sudden lump in his throat. “Once I hit the override, the Archon will know where I am. He's come to take me. I don't know what will happen. If I don't make it, tell Mara-” 

Reyes interrupted him. “Wait, what? Scott, hold on. You’re not going to die. We’ll get help. I-” 

“Reyes, just listen!” Scott snapped. His shaking hand hovered over the override. “If I don't make it, tell Mara… tell her I love her. And tell her I know she'll get everyone home. I _know_ it.” Scott stifled a sudden sob, cleared his throat gruffly. “Take care of my sister, Reyes.” 

“Ryder, you listen to me now. You are not going to die.” Reyes’ voice was suddenly commanding, cold, and brooked no argument. Despite himself, a shiver of goosebumps rippled over Scott’s skin at the sound of the other man’s voice. _Yikes, this guy sounds dangerous. Mar didn't say anything about that,_ Scott thought apprehensively. But Reyes continued. “You focus on keeping yourself safe. We will take care of the rest. The kett won't survive this encounter. Mara will see to that.” A current of pride laced Reyes’ last words, and for the first time that day, Scott felt comforted, particularly with the knowledge that his sister had picked a partner who sounded so competent, and importantly, who had such faith in her. _How I know he's competent, I'm not sure… but I feel Iike I can trust him,_ Scott thought. He let out a shaky breath.

“You will not die,” Reyes repeated, his voice commanding and authoritative. “Neither will she. Do you understand?” 

Scott nodded, though Reyes couldn't see it. “All right, man. Thanks. I really-” Suddenly, two kett rounded the corner… two heavily armed Destined. _Damn it, I’m out of time,_ thought Scott in a panic. “Reyes, gotta go,” he said hastily, hanging up abruptly and whipping up his Phalanx to aim at the kett in a smooth movement. 

“One pulse, Scott,” SAM said gently. “That’s all the Pathfinder needs.” Without another second’s hesitation, Scott slammed his hand down on the override. 

******************

_Fall to darkness, Pathfinder. You were almost worthy._

Mara’s ears rang with the Archon’s taunt as she stared pensively at the nearest Remnant console. She, Cora, and Jaal had just emerged from the Remnant City to general uproar from the rest of the team. Now they were squabbling about their next move - Cora trying to propose caution, Peebee and Drack arguing for action, Liam practically fizzing in his desperation to help - but Mara tuned them out. Her head was throbbing with a headache that seemed to be spreading from her temples to the base of her skull, but she forced herself to think through the pain. _The Archon has SAM… but… I opened that door without him. What if…_

Mara suddenly spoke, and the crew fell silent at the hoarse sound of her voice. “He has SAM. He has ships. But I’m still able to… do something.” Slowly, Mara approached the Remnant console, then, bracing herself, she activated the console. 

The renewed pain was almost crippling, like a krogan hammer blow to the head. Mara squeezed her eyes shut and focused. _Scott needs us. The whole Hyperion needs us. I have… to do this._ Suddenly, she heard a deep, bone-shaking rumble, and the ground underfoot began to quake. With effort, Mara opened her eyes to see a massive Remnant fighter ship slowly rising, thrumming with power.

Peebee slowly drew level with Mara, her mouth open in awe. “You did… an impossible thing,” she breathed, her eyes shining. Mara didn’t reply; the pain in her head was making her nauseous, and she swallowed it down with effort. Cora joined them, her eyes on the immense Remnant ship. She looked at Mara, and her eyes shone with hope. “Can you keep that up? Have them fight for us?” 

Before Mara could reply, she felt a sudden wet warmth on her lip. She hastily wiped the spill of blood from her nose and mouth, but not before Cora saw it. Cora’s face tensed in concern, but Mara shot her a quick warning look - _don’t say anything_ \- then turned to face the crew. 

“The promise of the Remnant could inspire others to join in across the cluster,” Jaal’s exclaimed, his mercurial eyes bright with enthusiasm. Drack nodded, his deep voice sober. “Rally the troops for a last stand.”

Mara looked at him sharply. “We’re _not_ throwing anyone’s lives away. But the Remnant give us a chance worth taking.” She looked around at her teammates and friends, gratified to see determination and hope gradually replacing the fear in their faces. “Every one of you has people in Heleus that you care about. We need them _with_ us. Not to throw at the Archon; I’ll make the Remnant do that. We’re fighting for the lives we’ve built, and that only matters if there’s someone left to live them.” With a fierce smile at her crew, Mara strode back towards the Tempest with the crew in tow, doing her best to hide her fear for Scott, and the pain and effort that her purposeful stride required.

Mara’s squadmates dispersed as soon as they entered the Tempest. “I’ll call Prodromos, notify Augie and Verand,” Liam said, turning to jog off towards his room. “I’ll call Sarissa so she can prepare the asari troops,” Cora piped up, heading off to the bio lab at Mara’s nod. Drack was already in a conference call with Morda and Hesh, and Peebee had run off to the escape pod to call in Kalinda’s due (with vindictive relish). Jaal strode off to call Evfra and the Moshae, leaving Mara on the bridge with Suvi, Kallo, and Vetra. 

Vetra turned to Mara. “I’ll call my contacts on the Nexus, and then I’ll help Jaal with contacting all the angaran colonies. Will you call Kadara to notify Keema and Ditaeon?” Vetra’s voice was brisk and businesslike, but her eyes were soft and sympathetic, and Mara caught the subtext: _Call Reyes._ Mara’s lip trembled as the fear she was reining in threatened to burst through the professional control she had forced herself to adopt thus far. Mara was terrified for Scott, and in her terror, all she wanted was to talk to Reyes. She needed the comfort of his strong, chocolatey voice more than she ever had… and Vetra’s kind eyes conveyed her understanding of this. 

Mara swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath to steel herself. “Thanks, Vetra. I’ll do that. Let me know if you or Jaal need any help.” Mara turned on her heel and headed to her quarters, determined to keep it together for her teammates until she was alone.

The second the doors of her quarters closed behind her, tears started to roll down Mara’s cheeks, but she refused to indulge herself in the sobs that pushed at her sternum. She impatiently wiped her eyes on her sleeve and called Ditaeon, the urgency of her duties superseding her personal concerns for the moment. She briskly filled Christmas Tate in on the situation and formally requested assistance from any available trained soldiers, which Christmas immediately promised. Then she called Reyes. 

To Mara’s dismay, her call went unanswered. She tried a second time, and the same result made her heart pound with renewed fear. Mara knew it was illogical, but worries about Reyes began to flood her mind: _what if he’s been attacked by an Outcast cell, what if another jealous smuggler took him out, what if one of his own people chose to assassinate him..._ After all, she had thought Scott would be safe in the Hyperion’s cryo bay, and look what had happened to him. Who was really safe anymore?

More tears spilled down Mara’s cheeks, but she ignored them and tapped her omni-tool with trembling fingers to call Keema. Keema answered almost immediately. “Pathfinder! It’s good to hear from you. I spoke to Reyes this morning. You have the support of Kadara Port. All military-trained angara on Kadara are ready and awaiting your orders.” 

“I - thank you, Keema, that’s excellent - you spoke to Reyes?” A small pang of relief eased some of the tightness in Mara’s chest, but she continued to worry, her fists clenched tight to stop them from trembling. _When did Keema speak to him? And why isn’t he picking up now?_

“Yes. I spoke to him earlier today. He seemed extremely preoccupied. He told me you were in trouble, and you would need allies. But he couldn’t tell me more than that.” Keema’s calm, luxurious voice contained a slight undercurrent of tension that made Mara clench her teeth. _What could make Keema, the most self-contained angara in Heleus, sound tense?_ But then a thought occurred to Mara. “He said I was in trouble? Why… how would he know that?”

“I’m not sure,” Keema confessed. “The last thing he said was for me to look after his operations until he was next able to contact me.” 

Mara sighed in frustration. _Fucking Reyes and his fucking intel network. How did he know I was in trouble? And what does that have to do with him not picking up?_

It seemed that Keema had some mind-reading abilities, because when she spoke again, her voice was softer and playful. Jokingly, she said, “Remember when I told you that it’s best not to worry about what Reyes does?”

Mara gave her omni-tool a frankly exasperated look, even though Keema couldn’t see it. “I’m fairly sure the urgency of this situation warrants a little worry, Keema.” Keema laughed, a throaty, sensual sound that somehow had the effect of relaxing Mara a bit. _If Keema can laugh, then he can’t be doing anything that dangerous… can he?_ “Don’t worry, Pathfinder,” Keema purred soothingly, “Reyes always manages to slither his way out of trouble. I’m sure he’ll be in touch as soon as he’s able.”

Mara grunted her thanks and ended the call. She took a deep breath, trying to quell the dual fears that gnawed in her gut: fear for Scott’s life, and now fear for Reyes’ life as well. Then, since she didn’t have Reyes to help ease her tension - _spirits, I could use some intense distraction sex right now,_ she thought to herself sadly - she reverted back to her pre-Reyes tension-diffusing technique: she threw herself into work.

**********************

The next 24 hours flew by in a flurry of activity as the Tempest waited for their allies to fly into the Civki system. The crew continued putting out calls for aid and helping their allies to coordinate and prepare (“You’ve got allies you didn’t even know you had,” Vetra said at one point, bolstering Mara’s hope), and prepared their gear for the inevitable fight. When Mara wasn’t making calls or working with her team to prepare themselves, she exercised madly to numb the anxious voices in her mind that seemed to grow louder with every passing hour that Scott was in danger. Her nerves were increasingly shot by the fact that she still hadn’t heard from Reyes. She’d sent him an email, and to her distress, she’d received no reply. So she ran laps around the Tempest, sparred biotically with Cora and physically with Liam, and did strength training using Liam’s various fitness equipment.

At one point, when Mara was jogging past the med bay for the umpteenth time, Lexi stepped out. “Ryder, can I speak to you for a moment?”

Mara slowed to a stop, jogging on the spot. She wiped her forearm on her forehead and her arm came away with a sheen of sweat. “What’s up, Lexi?”

Lexi’s eyebrows were drawn in a stern frown, but her grey eyes were concerned. “Ryder, you need to slow down. You need to reserve your energy for this upcoming fight. Your nervous system is still extremely fragile from the Archon’s stunt with SAM. You _must_ rest. You’re going to get injured again in this fight to come; I can’t stop that. But you’ll make it worse if you don’t go into this fight in your best possible physical and mental state.” 

Mara finally stilled, panting as she caught her breath. She knew Lexi was right, but she couldn’t bear her own thoughts right now. “I know, Lexi… I just… I can’t sleep. I can’t relax. Scott is in trouble, and Reyes is... and we’re just sitting here... “ Lexi opened her mouth to interject, and Mara cut her off with an appeasing hand in the air. “I know, I know, we aren’t just sitting here, we’re doing everything we can and we’re preparing… It’s just so hard to think of Scott with that motherfucker-” Mara stopped herself as the dreaded lump of sorrow began to collect in her throat again. Mara shoved a hand roughly through her sweaty hair, tousling it into damp peaks. “I can’t relax and I can’t sleep, Doc. It’s either exercise, or lie there worrying about things I can’t change.”

Lexi softened, her eyes sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Ryder. I do understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.” She sighed, then tilted her head, contemplating Mara. “At the rate our allies are arriving, and the Archon’s estimated trajectory, Kallo and Suvi said we’ll be hitting Meridian tomorrow afternoon. May I give you some sleeping medication for tonight? And perhaps Cora and I can practice some progressive relaxation with you before you sleep? You’ll at least get one good night’s rest before the big day.” 

Mara took a deep breath in, overwhelmed by gratitude for Lexi’s firm but empathetic care. “Thank you, Lexi,” she said fervently. “That would really be helpful. I had no idea what I was going to do to sleep tonight.” She smiled ruefully. “You know that whole thing when you need to sleep, but you can’t sleep so you get anxious about the fact that you can’t sleep, and it makes it even harder to sleep?” 

Lexi laughed at Mara’s rambling explanation. “I do know that feeling, Pathfinder. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you get your rest tonight. Now, please, _stop exercising._ Go take a hot shower and go to the galley for dinner. Drack is making grunnion roast tonight. It’s his specialty.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling with uncharacteristic mischief. “Peebee snuck me a little piece. It’s excellent.”

Mara laughed for the first time in days. “Thanks, Doc,” she said again. “I’ll be in the galley soon.” She gave Lexi a small salute, then went to her quarters.

Instead of immediately stripping off her sweaty leggings and sports bra, Mara walked over to the viewport, encouraged by the sight of the growing fleet of ships that were flying alongside the Tempest. _The kett will have their work cut out for them,_ she thought with grim satisfaction. _The combined forces of the Milky Way and Heleus are about to bring them some fucking noise._

At that moment, Kallo called her via comms. “Ryder, a ship called the Thanatos is requesting permission to board. Can I authorize entry?

Mara’s head snapped up. “Permission to board? What the fuck? Who the fuck’s trying to board us?”

Kallo’s reply sounded unsurprised and, oddly, resigned. “It’s okay, Ryder. You can let him in.”

Mara was starting to feel hysterical. _First Scott gets abducted, then Reyes goes MIA, and now I have unknown randos wanting to board my ship?_ “Kallo, who the hell-”

“Mara, you stubborn woman, let me in.” 

_Oh. God. He’s here. He’s here??_ His Spanish-accented, caramel-smooth voice filtered over the comms, edged with a trace of amusement. The sheer shock felt like an icy wave down her spine, followed by fiery heat. Her jaw literally dropped in disbelief. “Kallo, permission granted,” she breathed, and a second later she was out of her quarters, scrambling up the ladder towards the airlock on the port side of the bridge. 

Mara burst through the doors of the bridge - and there was Reyes, standing near the viewport, his flight suit rumpled but his hair as sleek as ever. Reyes looked at her, a slow smile breaking over his beautiful face, love radiating from his bronze eyes. “I heard you were waiting for someone.” 

“Reyes,” she breathed, a wave of intense relief crashing over her and bringing tears to her eyes. _He’s okay, he’s not dead, he hasn’t been attacked…_ Before she realized what she was doing, she was running towards him. He laughed, that spine-tingling, knowing laugh that she loved, and opened his arms to her. Laughing with sheer relief, she threw herself into his arms. He swept her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, one hand under her bottom to support her weight, the other hand tenderly tucking a short strand of hair behind her ear. “Scott told me you were in trouble. Vetra filled me in on my way out here.You’re not going anywhere without me, Ryder,” he growled, his deep, sexy voice giving her the comfort she had so desperately needed. “Kadara’s fleet is yours. And so am I.”

Mara laughed again, tears of happiness and relief filling her eyes. “You’re so cheesy. Just stop talking.” Reyes smiled, and his eyes burned with heat. “That can be arranged,” he murmured, then slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her hungrily, the hand on her bottom pressing her pelvis closer to his. Mara responded in kind, pressing her breasts against his chest and grabbing his hair to hold him closer. 

Suvi’s voice piped up cheerfully. “Hello, you two! We’re still here!” Mara and Reyes reluctantly broke apart, Mara throwing a guilty look at Kallo, who was humming loudly and studiously ignoring their display of very public affection. Mara turned back to Reyes, who was still holding her with her legs wrapped around him. He looked utterly unapologetic and his eyes were still clearly screaming _sex_ as he gazed at her. Mara smacked his chest. “Where the fuck have you been, you asshole? And I know Kadara doesn't have a fleet.” 

Reyes smiled cheekily, his eyes blazing with a love that took her breath away. “No, we don't. But it sounded good, didn't it?” Kallo gave a tiny snort of laughter, his eyes still focused on his flight control array. Reyes continued, his face becoming serious. “Obviously no fleet. But the best hand-to-hand fighters and snipers that came over on the Hyperion are under my employ. And they'll be hitting Meridian with us.” He gently set Mara on her feet, his eyebrows drawing together in apology. “That’s why I couldn't answer your calls. I was trying to pull my people from their posts and get trustworthy replacements. I couldn't pick up while I was sneaking around in the shadows like a shady bastard.” He gave her another winning smile, but his warm hands gently cupped her neck and he stroked her cheek lovingly with his thumb, his tenderness pleading her forgiveness. “I only just got away a few hours ago. I contacted Kallo and asked if I could board the Tempest to see you.” Reyes nodded with grateful respect to Kallo, who was still embarrassedly avoiding looking at them both, and who waved a polite acknowledgement to Reyes.

Mara couldn't believe he was here, that he would leave Kadara to be with her at such a critically busy time for them both. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, her face serious. “Thank you, Reyes. Experienced on-the-ground fighters will be necessary here. We won't be able to waste any time getting Scott back.” Her fear for Scott, momentarily forgotten in her joy at seeing Reyes, came pulsing back in full force. 

Reyes, gazing at her face, noticed the moment her fear rushed back. “Let's go talk downstairs,” he said, his voice low and brisk, giving her a touchstone to keep her fear at bay. “Besides,” he added with a playful smirk that Mara knew heralded a dig, “you need a shower anyway. You're gross.” She laughed again, feeling a slight alleviation of anxiety at Reyes playfully turning her own words against her. He was trying so hard to lift her spirits. “At least I'm just sweaty, not covered in someone else’s blood,” she retorted, eliciting a snort from Reyes. She grabbed his hand and led him to her quarters, with a hasty wave goodbye to Kallo and Suvi. The bridge doors slid closed behind them, leaving Kallo and Suvi to their duties. 

A moment later, Kallo turned to Suvi, his smooth amphibian brow furrowed. “Wait. What was that about being covered in blood?”

************

Mara lay in bed, curled in big-spoon formation around Reyes’ sleeping form, thinking about how he had rallied to her side without hesitation and reassured her about Scott. Her thoughts drifted back to their conversation about what he’d do if Keema wanted to take over Kadara. _I wonder… if he’d consider joining the Tempest before it comes to that?... But no, this isn’t the time for thinking of the future. We have to figure out the now first. Everything hinges on what happens in the next 24 hours._ With that thought, anxiety, ever present, roiled through Mara’s gut again, and she quietly slid out of bed to look out the viewport again at the fleet rallying around them. More ships were flying in by the hour, and Mara’s heart swelled with hope, determination... and lust for revenge. _That motherfucker took my baby brother. He’s going to pay with blood and sweat._

A moment later, Reyes was behind her, his approach silent, his arms sliding around her naked waist. “You sure know how to throw a party,” he murmured into her hair as he gazed out at the massing collection of ships, his voice rough with sleep but warm with laughter. “This is going to be the biggest housewarming Heleus has ever seen.”

“It’s not guaranteed,” she replied softly, leaning back into the warmth of his chest but unable to fully relax. “We have to defeat the Archon first. And without SAM in our corner…” 

“Hey,” Reyes said, his voice suddenly firm. He turned her in his arms until she was facing him and stared intensely into her eyes. “We will hit him hard and we’ll get Scott and SAM back. Look at this fleet, Mara,” he continued, gesturing out of the viewport. “All of Heleus is behind you. We will succeed. Besides,” he added, with a small smirk, “I told your brother he has to survive. And nobody defies the Charlatan.”

Despite herself, Mara couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a smug bastard.”

Reyes pulled her against his nude body, and Mara’s eyelids fluttered shut with desire as she felt the heat of his growing hardness against her own naked groin. Reyes smiled slowly at her, a simmering heat building in his eyes. “But a handsome one, right?” Without waiting for a reply, Reyes backed her towards the bed, then pushed her back onto the mattress. He stretched his naked body above hers, his knee smoothly nudging her thighs apart. “Now, Pathfinder, you need to sleep. You have a ton of kett to annihilate tomorrow. And I know a good way to tire you out…”


	15. Headaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara Ryder is determined to take Meridian from the Archon at all costs... but Reyes has concerns about Mara's welfare.
> 
> A/N: This was the first time I had to write a few action scenes... how did I do? I find them tough to write... Give me smut to write any day ;) but the action stuff just stresses me out. Comments welcome!!

“Ryder, we need to talk. Meet me on the bridge.” Reyes’ mellifluous voice floated to her over the Tempest’s comms.

“Give me five minutes,” Mara replied distractedly into her omni-tool. Gil was doing some final adjustments to the hydraulics in Mara’s Remnant armour with Peebee’s help. While Mara tried to stand still and let Gil and Peebee work, she was strategizing with Cora and Vetra, who would be doing the hot drop in the Nomad with her. She looked up from her omni-tool and caught a guilty look on Cora’s face. Cora met Mara’s eyes, and the guilty look on Cora’s face deepened for a split second before her face resumed its usual confident, professional alertness. Mara frowned. “What’s up?”

Cora’s cheeks pinkened slightly. “Nothing,” she replied hastily. “So, general approach: I’ll biotically shield, then you and I slam in with short-range attacks, and Zap and Vetra will attack from mid-to-long range.” 

Mara continued to eye Cora suspiciously, but nodded a brisk affirmative. “Obviously there’s only so much we can plan. But that will be our overall attack style. Our allies will be able to watch our six most of the time.” Cora and Vetra nodded seriously. Then Gil patted Mara firmly on the shoulder. “It’s done, Ryder. With these upgrades, you’ll be the baddest Remnant fighter out there. A Remnant Queen.”

Mara smiled fiercely at Gil and Peebee. “You better believe it.” _Human Pathfinder, Queen of Kadara, and now the Remnant Queen. I’d better be able to live up to these illustrious titles._ Mara pulled up her omni-tool and opened the shipwide comms. “Okay, team, we’re t minus 1 hour until Meridian. Let's bring those kett some motherfucking noise. Let’s bring our people home!” she roared, and all over the ship she heard her friends’ shouts of approval. Pumped with adrenaline, Mara strode to the bridge to meet Reyes. 

The bridge doors slid open, and Mara was surprised to find the bridge deserted except for Reyes. He was standing in her usual position at the viewport between Suvi’s and Kallo’s posts, gazing out at the stars with his back to her. Despite the seriousness of the impending battle, Mara couldn’t help but appreciate the hulking shape of Reyes’ shoulders and the silhouette of his ear and sharp jawline. He was half in shadow, lit only by the stars and the reflected light off of Meridian, which loomed ever closer as the allied Heleus/Milky Way fleet approached. _My shady lover, always half in the shadows,_ she thought, with a sudden sharp pang of grief. Mara did not intend to fail this mission - in fact, she’d never been more determined to succeed - but the definition of success here did not necessarily include her survival. 

Lexi had done a CT scan of Mara’s brain that morning, and the asari doctor had not been entirely able to hide her frown as she analyzed the images. Lexi had told her bluntly that there was mild edema in the temporal and frontal lobes, and multiple new small areas of hyperdensity scattered in her occipital lobes and near the corpus callosum… tiny hemorrhages, Lexi had explained. “You can recover from this damage if you rest and don’t strain yourself… But if you push yourself with the Remnant, you will do more serious damage, and the effects of the damage will accumulate.” Mara had nodded, always appreciative of Lexi’s honesty and concern, but the information hadn’t changed her plans. _We need the Remnant in this battle. It’s not negotiable. If I need to control them without SAM, I will… No matter what that will mean for me._ The idea that this mission might kill her made Mara’s heart ache - not for herself, but for the people she loved who she would leave behind: her crew and friends, her baby brother… and Reyes. 

Mara took a deep breath as she neared Reyes. He turned to face her; his forehead was furrowed into lines of worry, though he smiled at her. “I love it when you dress naughty for me,” he purred as he ran his eyes appreciatively over her Remnant armour. She smiled at his lame attempt to lighten the mood and bantered back. “Baby, just you wait. You haven’t seen my angaran helmet yet.”

As always, Reyes’ deep chuckle made her heart flutter. She drew near to him and gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and he simultaneously encircled her armoured waist with his arms, pulling her flush to his chest. Without speaking, Mara and Reyes slowly swayed together, cheek to cheek, dancing to music only they could hear. Mara inhaled Reyes’ spicy, gunpowdery scent, her eyes squeezed shut to force her tears back, trying to enjoy this moment of peace with the man of her wildest and dirtiest dreams. 

A minute later, Reyes drew gently back to look into Mara’s face. His eyes were serious, and Mara met them unflinchingly, expecting him to say something deep… or else to make a flippant joke. _Either one is equally possible with Reyes,_ she thought with bittersweet amusement. But the words that came out of his mouth were the last thing she expected. He cleared his throat, then said stiffly, “Cora told me that controlling the Remnant without SAM hurts you.” 

Mara recoiled in surprise. _Cora told him?_ “I didn’t know that you and Cora were on speaking terms,” she quipped in an attempt to deflect Reyes’ obvious worry. Privately, she was peeved with Cora. _I didn't want the others to know what it cost me to activate the Remnant. They need hope right now. She better not have told anyone else..._

Reyes smirked at her, though his anxious frown remained. “Turns out that Cora and I are both morning people. We might have caught up over coffee,” he replied. In truth, Reyes had been surprised that Cora had treated him as politely as she had that morning in the galley; he had only ever received a cold disdain from her. And he’d been doubly surprised - and infuriated - when Cora had confessed that Mara’s activation of the Remnant warships had taken such a toll on her that her nose had bled. Since SAM wasn’t active on the Tempest, Reyes had been able to hack into Lexi’s medical files, and he’d reviewed Mara’s CT results from this morning with a sinking stomach. His smirk faded as he gazed at Mara intently. “I hacked your CT results,” he told her baldly. After all, he had told her he wouldn’t lie about the big stuff. “Why didn’t you tell me? This battle relies on the Remnant warships. What if you lose control of them? You planning to kill yourself to bring them back online?”

“Yes, if that’s what it takes,” Mara snapped, pulling away from Reyes and moving to her usual place at the nose of the bridge. She inhaled slowly in an effort to calm her temper. Not trusting herself to face Reyes in her anger, she spoke tightly over her shoulder. “This mission is bigger than any one person. You know this. It’s about the whole cluster. We _have_ to stop the Archon at all costs. If we don’t stop him, it’s not just… it’s not just Scott on the line. It’s all of us. It’s everyone. And if I…” Her throat closed with grief for a moment, and she swallowed hard to open it. “If a sacrifice has to be made to save the whole cluster, you bet your ass I will do it.” 

Reyes was silent for such a long time that Mara eventually turned around, wondering if he had silently left. He stood in the same place she had left him, half turned away from her and still half in shadow, his head bowed. She cleared her throat, feeling awkward and uncertain whether she should approach him. The sudden burn of her anger had left a chasm between them, and she hated it. She took a tentative step towards him, then stopped in her tracks as he raised his face… the ice-cold, angry, dangerous face of the Charlatan. 

Mara’s heart jolted at seeing his dangerous side. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say a word, he stepped towards her, his face terrifyingly cold. “I refuse to see you dead,” he hissed, his voice deep and gravelly in his anger. “The only way that’ll happen is over my dead body. Do you understand?” 

Mara’s chest swelled with love and sorrow at his words even as her anger flared again at his imperious tone. Reyes drew closer to her, his eyes blazing with rage, and Mara shoved him in the chest with both hands. “How _dare_ you speak to me like this? I’m not some Collective agent you can boss around.” 

Reyes moved forward again and grabbed Mara’s arms in a firm but not painful grip. “No, you’re not. You’re the only person I love. So you’ll take me seriously when I say I _refuse to see you fucking die._ ” At these words, his voice cracked and he was her Reyes again, her private Reyes, with all his vulnerabilities and tenderness. He lifted one hand to her cheek, cradling her head and neck in his palm, and gazed greedily at her face, his eyes anxious and wet with tears. Mara felt a sob rising in her throat and kissed him, grabbing his collar to pull him close, desperate to quell the wave of sorrow that threatened to wash over her. He kissed her back eagerly and wrapped one arm tightly around her waist, pulling her tightly to his body as his other hand stroked her neck. 

After a long, passionate moment, Reyes slowly pulled back to look at Mara longingly. He opened his mouth to speak, but for once, Shena was at a loss for words. He shook his head slightly and looked away, but Mara cupped his face in her hands and gently tugged him back to look at her. Then they both spoke at the same time:

“I'll be careful. I promise.”  
“Just promise me you'll be careful.” 

Mara laughed, a deep belly laugh that just managed to disguise a sob. _The Pathfinder and the Charlatan… always on the same page._ Reyes gave her a lopsided smile and a chuckle. Then, with great reluctance, he relinquished his hold on her body and stepped away from her. He rubbed a hand through his hair - a sure sign of agitation - and Mara accompanied him to the airlock, both of them walking slowly as though to the galleys, loathe to separate, loathe to set out on this crucial and extremely dangerous mission. 

At the airlock, Reyes made a conscious effort to be witty and upbeat. He raised one eyebrow at Mara and smiled slowly at her. “Look on the bright side, Ryder. I'm sure you'll have more scars for me to examine… in detail… after this is over.” 

Mara smiled back, her eyes glinting wickedly. She slowly reached up and pulled his collar again, wetting her lips. “Now there's that silver lining I've been looking for,” she whispered, then kissed him once more.

*******************

The Nomad hit the ground with bone-shaking force and sped off the edge of a small hill with its momentum. As soon as it was safe, Mara squealed to a stop and opened the Nomad door and poked her head out, staring out at the world around her in awe. Meridian was, in a word, _magnificent_. Mantas drifted lazily through the ice-blue sky. The steep cliffs reminded her forcibly of a combination of Kadara and Earth’s Iceland, and Mara hadn’t seen vegetation so eye-poppingly green and lush since she had been to the island of Maui on Earth as a child. “Wow…” she breathed, feeling like she had been punched in the gut by the sheer beauty of the fabricated world before her.

“Ryder! Let’s go!” Cora barked, and Mara jolted, surprised that anything could distract her right now. She flung herself back into the Nomad and sped forward, using the enormous form of the Hyperion in the sky as a general waypoint. 

Suddenly, the Archon’s voice sounded over her comms. “Pathfinder, I’ve arranged a ‘distraction’ while I find Meridian control.” Mara felt a wave of fierce hatred at the T-shaped kett shuttles in the distance. “We can see that, you dumbfuck,” she muttered. Then, raising her voice so Cora and Vetra could hear her, she snarled, “Okay bitches, let’s get this done!” She heard Vetra’s fierce laugh in response, and Cora’s firm “Right!” 

“We’ll guard the Hyperion.” Kandros’ confident voice sounded in her comms, and Mara smiled in recognition at the friendly voice. “Kandros? Who else is with you?” 

“The whole damn cavalry,” Reyes’ sexy voice replied, laced with laughter. “You know how much I love a party.” Mara’s heart leapt and she laughed, her confidence bolstered by her lover’s reassurance. _Always the fucking joker, especially in the most dire situations,_ she thought affectionately. 

Evfra’s voice joined the conversation. “We’ll hold the kett, you secure Meridian!” 

The Nomad surged forward, and Mara felt a surge of joy and encouragement in her chest at the sight of the Nexus, angara, and exile-modified fighter jets swooping down low and zooming ahead of the Nomad. 

Suddenly, Captain Dunn’s tense voice joined in. “Pathfinder, SAM isn’t talking. The core is lit up like Christmas, but… shit, I don’t know what the Archon did. But he’s got Scott.” 

Adrenaline and fear surged through Mara’s veins, but she pushed them down. “Dunn, just focus on flying. I’ll find them.”

Explosions bloomed in the Nomad’s periphery as ally and kett shuttles engaged and flaming shrapnel slammed into the ground, but Mara ignored the flames with single-minded focus. The Nomad zipped through a narrow crevasse lined on both sides by cliffs, then burst into a clearing where Mara could see the jutting forms of Remnant structures, and what looked like a vault entrance, set just in front of a sheer cliffside. _That’s our goal,_ Mara thought… then she looked up and saw the huge kett battleship slowly settling into place just adjacent to the entrance. _Motherfucker._

Kandros spoke again, his voice commanding. “The kett are deploying to defend the Archon! Get in close!”

“Kandros, are you out of your mind?” Vetra yelped. But Kallo interjected, “He’s right. Mix with the ground troops, the big ship can’t fire on you!” Mara nodded agreement, too focused on her goal to reply. 

The Nomad shot off another sheer cliff face and landed hard in a field of thick vegetation and half-buried Remnant pillars. Then the Nomad’s control terminal suddenly went dark. “EMP?” Cora asked, as Mara manually opened the Nomad doors. “Probably kett defenses,” Vetra grunted as she unfolded her tall turian frame from the Nomad. Mara slung her Dhan shotgun and P.A.W. assault rifle onto her back, then turned to her squad. “Got to fight our way through on foot. The Archon will _not_ take Meridian.” Cora and Vetra nodded seriously, and the three women darted forward into the action. 

Almost immediately, the squad was set upon by two Chosen, and bullets glanced off of Mara’s left arm from an Anointed in the distance. Cora produced a biotic shield and Mara flung herself in the air, slamming into the ground with a forceful nova attack that blasted the two Chosen backwards. Vetra and Zap set to taking out the Anointed, and Mara sprinted forward, dodging a stab from another Chosen, then spinning while smoothly pulling her shotgun from her back to blast a round straight through the Chosen’s head. In her periphery, she spotted Evfra as he flung a bioelectric shockwave at a pack of wraiths, and Kandros shouting commands to a small contingent of turian militia before running into the fray after them… and then, 5 metres away, she spotted Reyes, snapping orders at a motley but seasoned-looking group of fighters. He then rolled gracefully into the cover of a short Remnant pillar, unshouldered a Widow sniper rifle, and smoothly took out two Destined with perfectly aimed headshots. 

He looked up at her then, and his cold expression of concentration melted into a grin. “Always here for the adventure… or whatever this is,” he called to her over comms. “Watch your six!” Mara barked in reply, and Reyes threw himself flat as two wraiths suddenly appeared and launched themselves at him. Reyes swiftly rolled to his back stabbed upwards with his angaran dagger as one of the wraiths overshot and flew over his head, and Mara heard a gurgling shriek from the dying wraith as Reyes leapt to his feet, his Sidewinder leveled at the second wraith… which was gurgling a death rattle from Mara’s asari sword. 

Panting, Mara and Reyes looked each other. Reyes’ eyes glittered with satisfaction as he nodded a silent thanks to her. Then, without another word needing to be shared between them, they ran together towards the entrance of the Meridian control centre, deflecting attacks and defending each other as they pushed forwards. 

Mara wasn’t sure if it was her and Reyes’ common Alliance training, their insane chemistry, or the fact that they always uncannily seemed to agree in their ideas and plans - but they fought together as smoothly and strategically as Mara ever had with the rest of her squadmates. She and Reyes hadn’t even needed to speak before deciding on a strategy. Mara, in her heavier armour, darted forward to throw up a tech barrier to protect Reyes; he then used his long-range weapons to defend Mara from distant attacks as she leapt over the barrier to annihilate the closer enemies with a seamless combination of shotgun blasts, asari sword slashes, and biotic attacks. Mara lost count of how many kett they put down together, but suddenly they were at the entrance of the control centre, Cora and Vetra bursting onto the platform at almost the same time as Mara and Reyes, with Evfra, Kandros, and their myriad ground troops close behind. Cora and Vetra darted forward and swiftly killed the smattering of kett defending the control centre door while Mara and the others kept their weapons aimed outwards at the clearing, alert for any further approaching kett. 

Suddenly, a kett shuttle swooped low. _Fuck,_ Mara thought viciously, as she and her allies flung themselves for cover… then the kett shuttle bloomed with flames, and with an ear-splitting shriek of metal and rock, slammed into the cliffside behind the control centre entrance. Mara stood and grinned up at the sky as Pathfinder Raeka’s shuttle flew low, then zipped back into the air. “Raeka and the Moshae here,” Raeka confirmed jauntily. “Sarissa here as well,” came the asari Pathfinder’s voice, and Ryder watched in awe as an enormous biotic shield bloomed and then grew exponentially in front of the Hyperion, deflecting a number of kett projectiles back onto their own ships. “Rix here, ready for action,” added Avitus’ confident voice. 

“Go on, Pathfinder,” came the Moshae’s calm, wise voice. “We will defend the Hyperion, but that only matters if you catch the Archon. Stay clear, my friend.” 

Mara nodded solemnly up at the shuttle, even though the Moshae couldn’t see her. “Thank you, Moshae. Stay strong and clear. Pathfinders, you know what to do. Let’s make this count.” She awaited their confirmation, then removed her helmet and turned to the assembled ground troops, including Reyes. 

“Listen up, everyone. We’ll do this in waves: Cora, Vetra and I will take the lead and advise you of what we’re facing. Follow us in waves depending on your strengths, given the situation as we convey it to you.” She looked around at the assembled faces and was bolstered by the determination and focus - and lack of fear - on every face. _They have faith in this mission… and in us. We will succeed for all of them,_ Mara thought fiercely.

Then she looked at Reyes, and took a deep breath. His face was the most determined and focused… and pride radiated from his eyes, and love, and worry that Mara knew he would never be able to dismiss. Without a word, they stepped towards each other. Then Reyes’ hand was gripping the back of her neck, and Mara’s arm encircled Reyes’ waist, her hand clutching the back of Reyes’ lightly armoured flight suit, their bodies crushed together as they kissed passionately. 

Mara savoured the glide of Reyes’ hot tongue in her mouth, the spicy smell of his sweat mingling with the acrid smell of fire and blood in the air, and decided she had never loved Reyes as much as she did right now: his pride and confidence in her, his sense of humour, the cold beauty of his combat skills… and the fact that he was here, at her side, encouraging her to go on despite his fear for her life. 

Reyes broke their kiss, his eyes fierce and blazing. He pressed his forehead to Mara’s, his grip still tight on the back of her neck. “I’ll be right behind you. Always,” he gritted through clenched teeth. “You got that?”

Mara nodded tightly, swallowing the lump in her throat, not trusting herself to speak. Reyes abruptly relinquished his grip on her neck and started after the other ground troops back to the edge of the clearing to defend Mara, Cora and Vetra’s departure.

Suddenly, Mara found her tongue. “I love you,” she shouted after him. 

Reyes slowed his stride and turned towards her, a slow smile washing over his face and his bronze eyes glowing. “I know,” he called back cheekily... and winked. Then he was off with the other ground troops. 

Mara smirked and shook her head, her spirits lifted. _Cheeky bastard…_ She firmly replaced her helmet, nodded to Cora and slapped Vetra on the shoulder, and the three women ran into the control centre. 

******************

Mara gasped for breath, crouching beside the console she had just deactivated. “Scott - the relay is down! Tell me how to bring this all home!”

Scott’s response via comms was weak, his voice strained with pain. “One more. Just… one…” then his voice faded away, to Mara’s alarm. “Scott? Scott!!”

“We are out of time, Pathfinder. Hurry.” SAM’s calm, placid tones helped cool Mara’s panic. She leapt across the Remnant pillar bridge in the direction of the final console, dodging the energy beam of a nearby Observer and draining a Nullifier to restore her shields before smashing it in a hard melee attack. She slid into shelter behind a nearby barrier and glanced behind to see where Cora and Vetra were. Cora was releasing a brisk nova attack on a group of Assemblers, and Vetra was running to Mara’s position. “Ryder, go!” Vetra shouted as she skidded behind the barrier beside Mara. “We’ll cover you!” 

Mara vaulted over the barrier and sprinted along the pathway towards the console. She skidded to a halt in front of the console and stretched her hand over it, unable to ignore the slight tremble of her fingers. Each console she had activated had made her head throb. The headache had dissipated after the first couple of consoles, but the pain wasn’t going away anymore. _No time to think about that,_ Mara ruthlessly told herself. _After this one, the Archon will be done. And Scott…_ Mara felt a quail of fear at the memory of Scott’s weak voice, but she pushed her fear aside, forcing herself to be optimistic. _Scott will be fine. He’ll be fine. He made is this far. I’ll see him in just a few minutes._ Without another second’s hesitation, she activated the console. 

***************

Reyes wiped his sweaty forehead on his arm and stood still for a moment to catch his breath. He and the remaining ground troops were collecting weapons and salvage from the kett corpses while they waited for the fighters in the control centre to emerge. 

When Evfra, Reyes, and the Pathfinders had received word that the whole Tempest crew were alive, with minimal casualties to all the other fighters, Reyes had experienced a rush of relief so strong it was almost orgasmic. The deafening outburst of cheering, whistling, and clapping over the allies’ comms had reflected his feelings perfectly. Reyes had actually sat on the ground, shaking with relief, until Evfra had pulled him to his feet and - uncharacteristically! - hugged him heartily. 

Now, as Reyes helped to collect resources (so much valuable salvage!), he couldn’t help but glance at the entrance to Meridian’s control centre every few seconds. The sensation of waiting on tenterhooks for Mara to return from a dangerous mission was really starting to get old. For the umpteenth time, Reyes’ thoughts drifted back to the conversation he and Mara had had when he’d visited the Tempest for the first time. _If I was part of her squad, I’d never have to suffer this waiting… I could be at her side all the time. If she wanted me._ But could he stop being the Charlatan? He had worked so hard, killed so many people, traded so much sensitive information to get Kadara to where it was. He was a ruthless killer and an inside informant to the core, and not ashamed of it. Frankly, he loved his job as the Charlatan. _But… I think I love Mara more._

Suddenly, there was an uproar near the entrance to the control centre. Reyes looked up, alert, then bolted towards the entrance along with everyone else when he realized it was Mara, emerging bloody but triumphant with her squad in tow… and her brother, Scott, with his arm slung over her shoulder.

The enthusiastic crowd around Mara was three people deep, so Reyes was unable to get closer without shoving through (which he briefly considered, then decided it wouldn’t be keeping with the joyful spirit of the day). He watched her with enormous pride as she solicitously assured Scott’s comfort before addressing the crowd. She turned to face them, her dark pixie-cut hair shining with brown highlights in Meridian’s sun (or whatever passed for sun on this self-contained planet?), her face paler than usual but her eyes as vibrantly green as ever. Suvi called out to Mara, her pixie face shining with excitement. “The word’s out! Everyone’s elated, but the Nexus wants to know what’s next. What do I tell them?”

Mara looked around at the crowd, beaming at everyone, her eyes shining with happiness. “Tell them we’re home.” 

_Short and sweet,_ Reyes thought, as the crowd around her surged closer, hugging her, patting her back, shaking her hand, thanking her for everything she had done. _She deserves this moment in the sun. She’s fucking worked hard enough for it,_ he thought, standing back and admiring her from a distance. Eventually, she made eye contact with him, and a small smile lit her lips. He smiled back, and winked. 

A solid 15 minutes later (with Reyes growing more impatient by the minute), the crowd around Mara finally dispersed, and she approached him, arm-in-arm with Scott. Mara beamed at Reyes and delivered his favourite line: “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”

Reyes chuckled. “You’re someone I’ll happily wait for,” he replied smoothly, his eyes glinting sexily. 

Scott made a retching noise. “Wow, guys, keep the flirting to a dull roar, won’t you?” He removed his arm from around Mara and grinned at Reyes, his face tired but warm, and extended a hand. “Scott Ryder. It’s great to finally meet you.” 

Reyes grinned back and firmly shook the proffered hand. “Reyes Vidal. It’s a pleasure.” Then Reyes had the unusual experience of being hugged by an acquaintance for the second time that day as Scott suddenly pulled him into a firm embrace and clapped him heartily on the back. 

“Thanks, man,” Scott said gruffly as he hugged the surprised Reyes. “When I thought I was… you know. What you said helped me keep it together. Heck, you _scared_ me into keeping it together.” Scott drew back from Reyes, then laughed at the surprise on his face. Mara, who was watching them with a goofy smile, laughed and addressed her brother. “He’s not used to being a good guy,” she explained. 

Reyes recovered some of his aplomb and scoffed at Mara. “Please, I’m always a good guy. It’s just that nobody knows it.” He winked roguishly at her and wondered vaguely at the polite confusion on Scott’s face. _Maybe she hasn’t told I’m the Charlatan…?_ But Reyes’ ability to focus on polite conversation was quickly deteriorating as he gazed back at Mara. She was resplendent in her filthy armour and short messy hair, and the whole situation - the danger of the mission, the excitement at reclaiming Meridian, and her sheer proximity - was conspiring to make him dangerously close to losing control of his libido. _What’s that shit they always say - near-death experiences make people want to fuck, or something like that? I’m feeling that... times a million,_ he thought vaguely as she stared back at him. Their ever-present chemistry was sizzling the air between them and her eyes were screaming _sex_. 

Scott must have noticed the charged atmosphere, because he cleared his throat awkwardly. Before Scott could say anything, Reyes turned to him. “Pardon my manners, but I need to kiss your sister now.” 

Scott coughed in sudden surprise and embarrassment, and Reyes grinned as both twins’ cheeks flushed a deep red. “Yeah, yeah, you do that, uh - Lexi wanted to see me anyway,” Scott stammered, then limped away. 

Mara glared at Reyes in mock reproof, her cheeks still pink. “Reyes! This is so awkward...” He smiled back lazily and took a slow step towards her, gratified when her pupils dilated and her lips parted in arousal. He encircled her armoured waist with his hands and pulled her close, his lips a hairsbreadth from hers. “Are you complaining?” he murmured huskily, enjoying the sound of her gently panting breath. 

“Me, complain? About you? Never,” she breathed, sliding her arms around his neck. And then Reyes’ mind went blank with bliss as their lips met passionately, her hot tongue sliding against his, her teeth gently nipping his bottom lip as she pressed her body flush against his. 

Just as Reyes was starting to wonder whether he and Mara could sneak into an empty shuttle for a quickie, she pulled away from him and winced. Reyes was immediately on alert. “Mara, what is it?” She rubbed the back of her head in frustration, her eyes squeezed shut as she replied. “My head. It’s been killing me since- uhhh…” She looked up at Reyes, her face a picture of guilt. His lust melted away in a second, to be replaced by concern and anger. “Ryder, you activated Remnant in there? You said you’d be careful-” 

“I was!” she interrupted indignantly, then winced in pain, rubbing her forehead this time. “I had to deactivate a ton of consoles. There was no choice, Reyes. It was the only way to stop the Archon.” She took a deep breath in through her nose, then gave a groan of pain and swayed. 

“Fuck,” Reyes hissed, grabbing her as she stumbled towards him, her head dropping as she suddenly lost consciousness. “Lexi!” he barked at the asari doctor, who was tending to some wounded fighters nearby, Scott included. Lexi’s head snapped in his direction at the authority in his voice. “The Pathfinder-” He didn’t need to say anything more, as Lexi was already sprinting towards him, with Scott close behind. Reyes gently lowered Mara onto her back, supporting the alignment and weight of her spine and head, his heart racing as renewed fear pumped adrenaline into his system. _Not fucking now,_ he thought hysterically, _she can’t leave me now. Not after all this…_ He kneeled at her side, tenderly pushing a lock of hair back from her pale forehead, his throat tight with fear. 

Lexi was already on her knees beside Mara, scanning the Pathfinder’s head with her omni-tool, her face a picture of intense concentration. Scott skidded over beside Reyes, spraying dirt onto Reyes in his haste to get close to Mara, and the rest of the crew were running over as well. “Lexi? What’s going on?” Peebee demanded.

“Everyone stand back! I need space to work,” Lexi snapped, not bothering to look up at the crew. She checked Mara’s pupils and took her temperature and pulse with rapid efficiency, but Reyes still felt like he was going to scream at her if she didn’t tell him something soon. Right as he opened his mouth to demand information, Lexi looked up at him and Scott. “She’s hemorrhaging,” Lexi told them tightly. “Primarily in the occipital lobe and the corpus callosum. There’s a slight midline shift.”

“Speak English. Will she be all right?” Reyes demanded, his voice pure Charlatan - cold, dangerous, demanding. He would never usually have spoken to Lexi in this way, but with Mara looking so deathly pale and still, he couldn’t focus, couldn’t think, couldn’t stop his natural authoritative reaction to stress from bursting forth. 

He was actually surprised when Lexi actually answered his question; he’d expected her to tell him that she couldn’t share that information with him. After all, he wasn’t family - he wasn’t even one of the crew, for Christ’s sake. But Lexi looked him in the eye. “She needs immediate medical treatment.” 

Reyes stomach dropped. _That’s doctor-speak for ‘she’ll die if she doesn’t get help right away’._ Reyes grabbed his hair with both hands in his distress. He was vaguely aware of Scott firmly gripping him around the shoulders. Then Lexi snapped at them both. “Listen to me, you two. She’s young, and she’s strong. Her prognosis will be good if we immediately treat the existing hemorrhages and reinstate SAM’s deep connection with her implant. But we need to move _right now._ ” 

Reyes pulled his hair one more time, pulling until the pain brought him back to himself, then smoothed his hair briskly. “Tell me what to do,” he said to Lexi, internally wincing at the command in his voice even as he tried to cede to her authority on this matter. 

“Just stay out of the way,” she replied, her voice firm but her face sympathetic. She was already on her omni-tool, calling field medics to move Mara and notifying the med bay on the Hyperion. In less than 2 minutes, Mara had been strapped to a hovering stretcher and whisked off in a shuttle to the Hyperion. Before Lexi had hopped in the shuttle with Mara, she had turned to Scott and Reyes. “You should know that Mara made the two of you joint power of attorney for her personal care.” She smiled ruefully at the confusion on their faces. “If medical decisions have to be made and Mara can’t make them for herself, the two of you have equal power to make the decision for her. But don’t worry about that right now. We’ll take excellent care of our Pathfinder. I’ll keep you both posted with any updates.” And with that, Lexi ducked into the shuttle, and a moment later, it was gone. 

Reyes stood with Scott now, the two men unable to speak but complicit in their fear and love for Mara. The Tempest crew surrounded them, murmuring words of support and encouragement. Reyes noticed that the crew was treating him with as much sympathy as they did her twin brother. And Lexi had said that Mara had made him a power of attorney… like someone might do for their spouse… And despite the horrendous situation, Reyes felt a wave of gratitude for Mara’s acceptance, for considering him to be _family_ , and the Tempest crew’s acceptance was a salve for his worry.

Eventually, Scott took a deep breath and slapped Reyes fraternally on the shoulder. “Lexi will look after her,” he said, and Reyes knew he was reassuring himself as much as Reyes. Scott turned to the crew. “Let’s not just stand around moping, hey guys? We can help with the clean-up… and we should celebrate the Archon being done for! That guy was… a huge jerk.”

A sudden laugh erupted from Reyes’ chest. “A huge jerk? That’s the fucking understatement of the century.” Vetra and Peebee laughed as well, and Cora smiled gently and piped up in defense of Scott. “At least one of the Ryders doesn’t have a potty mouth!” At that, the whole crew erupted into slightly hysterical laughter as the adrenaline from the mission and the tension from Mara’s loss of consciousness washed over them all. 

Reyes laughed until there were tears in his eyes, then realized the tears may not be entirely tears of laughter. He hid his face in his grimy sleeve briefly, playing his sudden tears off as mirth while the rest of the crew was distracted. _She’s young and strong, and the Hyperion has an excellent med bay,_ he firmly reminded himself. Only when he was back in control of his emotions did he raise his face to look at the crew again. “I have a bottle of whiskey on my shuttle,” he told them. “Anyone care for a drink?”

Cora raised an eyebrow at him, but without any of the disdain she usually displayed for him. “Drinking and flying? Excellent life choices, Reyes,” she said, but with a smirk.

Reyes smiled coolly back. “Don’t worry, I stick to a three-drink maximum when I’m on a job.” Cora sputtered a laugh. “That’s hardly reassuring!”

“At least he has a maximum, right?” Liam interjected, elbowing Drack jokingly. Drack grunted, then deadpanned, “The day when drinks stop me from doing my job is the day when I might as well be dead,” eliciting a chuckle from Liam and Peebee. 

“Well,” Peebee chirped, “I could certainly go for a drink! Lead the way, o king of smugglers.” Vetra snorted jealously. “King of smugglers, indeed,” she muttered, to Reyes’ amusement.

Reyes, Scott, and Tempest crew slowly began to meander their way back towards Reyes’ shuttle. Scott fell in beside Reyes and smiled guilelessly. “So,” he said conspiratorially, “Are you gonna tell me how a smuggler came to have a military commander’s dulcet tones, or do I have to wait until Mar wakes up from her little nap?”

Reyes glanced guardedly at Scott and was surprised at the total innocence in Scott’s curious green eyes. _So Mara hasn’t told him. Then... should I not tell him either?_ “It’s a long story and it was a long time ago,” he hedged. But Scott smiled and nudged him companionably with an elbow. “We have time now. I could use a good story!” 

Reyes smiled cautiously. Scott was so open and trusting, and so straightforward… but Mara must have had a reason for not telling him. _Hmmm… what would Mara do?_ Reyes experienced another pang of panic at the thought of Mara, the memory of her normally golden skin being pallid with pain, and had to swallow hard to quash the sorrow. And he knew that no matter what he did to distract himself - no matter how much he bantered with the crew, or whiskey he drank - things wouldn’t be right until he knew if Mara was okay. _Not sure when she became so central in my life… but I need to keep her there. That stubborn woman better pull through…_


	16. Responsibilities and Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara recovers from her injuries on Meridian, and has a serious conversation with Reyes... followed by some not-so-serious punishment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is absolutely NSFW. Spoiler alert: there is some kink in this chapter. Very light bondage and BDSM. You've been warned... ;)

**Three days later…**

Mara slowly floated into consciousness, like a deep-sea diver surfacing from the depths. The voices were the first thing she became aware of: a calm and reassuring female voice, and two male voices - one deep and smooth, the other sunny.

“Look, she’s smiling!” the sunny voice said, and Mara put a name to the voice: _Scotty._ “Finally, thank fuck,” groaned the deeper voice, and Mara forced herself to open her eyes so she could see the face that belonged to that voice, the voice she loved more than any other: _Reyes._

He gazed at her, his hooded bronze eyes shining, a smile breaking like dawn over his face. “Hey, Ryder. You’ve been sleeping on the job.” 

Mara opened her mouth, wanting to make a clever retort, but all she could manage was a hoarse croak. Reyes turned to the young asari nurse who was adjusting an IV in Mara’s arm. “Bring ice chips,” he ordered. The nurse nodded patiently and turned to go, but Scott shoved Reyes. “Ease up, man!” he laughed, and squeezed his sister’s hand. “Your boyfriend here is awfully bossy, Mar. They almost had to throw him out of the med bay at one point.” 

“I’d like to see them try,” Reyes growled, and despite Mara’s exhaustion, her heart fluttered at that delicious growl. Lexi, who was tapping out a clinical note on her omni-tool, threw Reyes a reproachful look and addressed Mara and Scott. “He’s lucky that he’s the Pathfinder’s boyfriend. The staff have gotten used to his particular brand of tyrany over the past few days.” 

The asari nurse returned with a cup of ice and a spoon, and Reyes sheepishly muttered an apology at her. Mara noted the brilliant smile that the nurse gave him with a pang of envy. _Hmm, turning heads even in the hospital. And I’m all laid up like an invalid unable to stake my claim…_ She smiled weakly at Reyes as he gently brought an ice chip to her lips. 

“Go slowly, Reyes,” Lexi cautioned. “One ice chip at a time. Ryder was just extubated yesterday. A speech pathologist will need to see her before she can have anything more than ice chips.” Reyes nodded distractedly, staring intently at Mara while she rolled the ice around in her mouth with relish. She couldn’t help but feel self-conscious; all she was doing was enjoying an ice cube, and she probably looked like total shit, but Reyes was gazing at her like she was performing a marvelous skill.

Finally, she swallowed the melted ice and spoke, her voice hoarse but strong. “What did I miss? Anything to report?”

Scott burst into laughter, and Reyes chuckled ruefully. “Always the Pathfinder,” Scott said, shaking his head fondly. “It’s been three days since you passed out, Mar.”

Mara frowned. “I passed out? So that’s… I just remember having a headache…” 

Reyes and Scott both looked alarmed at this, but Lexi came over and smiled at them sympathetically. “Don’t worry, you two, it’s normal for people to have difficulty remembering the time before a brain injury. She also just had major brain surgery. It’s likely that she’ll remember in time.” 

Mara piped up. “I remember defeating the Archon. That guy was a fucking asshole.” 

Reyes laughed, a rich, dark, rolling sound that made a flush of heat run over Mara’s body. “That’s more like it. Not just a ‘huge jerk’, as some people would say.” He smirked at Scott, who rolled his eyes. Scott noted Mara’s bemused face and reassured her. “Inside joke.” 

“I’m in hospital for three days and you already have inside jokes? I’m gonna develop FOMO,” she grumbled, then yawned hugely. “Tell Jaal… He gets FOMO too…” With annoyance, Mara realized that her exhaustion was overtaking her and she was drifting back to sleep. 

“Rest, Pathfinder.” Lexi’s gentle voice was bright with amusement. “You’ll have time to catch up on everything when you’re properly awake.”

Mara nodded and gave another lionlike yawn. Then something occurred to her. “SAM? Did we get SAM back? Is he…?”

“Hello, Pathfinder.” SAM’s cool, professional voice filtered into her mind, and Mara beamed happily, relieved at having her AI - and friend - back in her mind. “I am fully restored to your implant. I recommend that you get some sleep. It will help restore your strength.”

Mara smiled and closed her eyes. She felt the press of lips against her temple, and Reyes’ voice in a whisper at her ear: “I love you.”

She smiled drowsily. “I know,” she murmured, and then sleep overcame her.

****************

**Ten days later…**

Mara paused, took a deep breath, and flung her left hand at a practice target across the room. A glowing lance of biotic energy flew straight at the target and hit the target’s forehead… slightly off centre.

“Boo!” jeered Scott from his seated position against the wall. Mara was going through biotics rehabilitation, and Scott accompanied her for almost every session, either to cheer her on or to act as a sparring partner - good exercise for him, as he was still regaining his physical strength. Mara threw him a look of mock scorn. “Is that your idea of encouragement?” she said, then crooked her left index finger at him. A lattice of glowing blue energy encircled her arm and she smiled fiercely at him. “Come try your luck again if you’re such a bigshot.”

“No thanks,” Scott replied jauntily. “My hip still hurts from the last throw I took.” 

“Well, you should dodge more quickly,” Mara replied with a complacent smile, then spun and flung another lance at the target. This time, her lance hit the direct centre of the forehead. 

“Yay, three cheers for the Pathfinder!” Scott called out mockingly. Mara laughed, and threw one last lance - which hit its mark spot-on - then came to sit next to Scott and practice singularities on the various items in the large gym. With a deft twist of her left hand, she released a singularity at the back of the gym that lifted a set medicine balls into a slowly drifting vortex of indigo energy. 

Scott and Mara contentedly watched the floating balls until they drifted back to the ground. “So, you’re cleared for duties starting tomorrow then?” Scott asked Mara. She nodded and smiled. She couldn’t wait to get back on the Tempest. Now that the kett threat was crippled, there was time for exploration and discovery - the primary reason the Andromeda Initiative had come here in the first place. And while Mara would still be primarily focused on enhancing the colonies’ viability, and on furthering the relationship between the Milky Wayers and the angara, she was looking forward to having more time to explore all the beautiful worlds they had discovered… and to a little vacation with Reyes. 

Mara gave a little shiver of anticipation at that last thought. Yesterday, Reyes had called Mara from Kadara and told her he had a surprise arranged for her for when she was released from the hospital, and to plan for at least two days’ off - “Or as many as you can swing… The more, the better,” he said, his voice pitched low and dripping with sex, making the muscles deep inside her belly clench. She had immediately spoken to the other Pathfinders about taking a week’s vacation, and they had happily agreed to cover her Pathfinder duties. 

“I’m taking some vacation time with Reyes instead of getting straight back into things,” she told Scott, and was annoyed that she couldn’t control the hot flush that spread across her cheeks. Scott rolled his eyes and made a retching sound. “Gosh, Mar, you guys have been together for like four months now. When are you gonna stop blushing whenever you talk about him?” Mara covered her face in embarrassment. “I don’t know! Leave me alone,” she laughed. “I need to hook you up with a nice girl so I can rip on you instead.” 

Scott laughed. “Nah, can’t be bothered with that. I just want to get out there and explore with you. I’m stuck here for two more weeks!” he groaned, then stood up reluctantly and headed over to a nearby locker. He strapped some weights onto his ankles, preparing to run laps around the gym. While he ran laps, Mara would throw biotic attacks at him, forcing him to practice dodging and hone his reaction time. 

“I like Reyes, by the way,” Scott called to her as he pulled out weights for his wrists. Mara beamed; she had hoped the two men would get along, and was charmed by the fact that Scott seemed to regard Reyes as an older brother. Then Scott came over to her, holding out the weights so Mara could strap them to his wrists. “But I still don’t get where he gets his whole scary dictator-commander thing from. You should have seen him when you were in the ICU, Mar - ordering people around in the med bay, demanding information like he was in charge of the place. The newer staff actually did what he told them to do until Lexi told him to lay off. What’s with that?”

Mara concentrated on strapping the weights to Scott’s wrists as a little flutter of anxiety stirred in her stomach. But Scott wasn’t finished. “It’s like he’s two totally different people. He’s all jokes and one-liners and charm with us, but then he’s like this… cold, scary mafioso when he doesn’t get what he wants. And he’s always doing business deals! Like, _all the time._ ” He looked at Mara, who was taking longer than was strictly necessary to strap on the second weight. “I know he’s like the king of smugglers or whatever, but come on. I swear he didn’t sleep when you were in the hospital, Mar. He was either hovering over you and yelling at the hospital staff, or he was on his omni-tool using his scary voice. He’s either a crazy workaholic or I am missing something here.” 

Finally, Mara raised her eyes to Scott’s. Their matching bright green eyes met, and Scott exclaimed, “You’re hiding something from me! You’re hiding something?” His face became incredulous and slightly hurt. “Mar, what are you hiding?” 

Mara sighed. _At least they had time to bond. Maybe he won’t mind since he knows Reyes now…_ She’d known this moment was coming, but she was still worried that her cautious, over-protective baby brother would react badly when she told him the truth. _But Reyes is so loyal to me… I’m sure that’ll count for something._ Mara took a deep breath. “Scotty… Let’s go somewhere more private. I have an… interesting story for you.”

*************

The next day, Mara stepped out of the lift onto Kadara’s docking bay to find Reyes casually leaning against the far railing near the stairs, a bored look on his face as he glanced at passersby and tapped idly at his omni-tool. But Mara knew that Reyes was never as idle as he looked; those lionlike bronze eyes missed nothing. She approached him casually, putting a sexy little swing into her hips as he looked up, his face lighting up at her approach. An unstoppable smile spread over her face as she drew level with him and leaned back casually against the railing. “You look like you’re waiting for someone,” she purred. Reyes grinned, then shrugged mock-casually. “Just waiting to see if any gorgeous women pass by. But I think I can stop looking now.” He waggled his eyebrows at her playfully. 

She tilted her head back and laughed throatily as he shifted to stand in front of her, crowding her body with his. “Oh Shena, I’ve just been waiting for someone to come over and fuck me sideways with a beautiful line like that.”

His bronze eyes flared with sudden heat, and his face darkened with lust as he penned her against the railing with his arms on both sides of her, his hard cock brushing against her pelvic bone. Mara felt her own lust rising at the intent look on his face. “I’m not the only one who’s good with words,” he growled, his deep voice making her nipples peak inside her bra. “You paint a nice picture with your choice words...” He leaned in close, his hands still on the railing on either side of her body, and breathed into her ear: “Fuck me sideways.”

Mara gave a tiny involuntary gasp as a rush of sensation pooled in her groin at her words echoed back in his caramel-smooth voice. His lips hovered over hers, and she could taste mint and a hint of whiskey on his breath. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” she whispered back, and tilted her lips up to kiss him… but he pushed himself slowly away from the railing and away from her. His eyes were teasing as he spoke in a businesslike voice. “Pathfinder, I’ve found something interesting in the badlands. Would you care to join me?” He held out his hand. 

Sexual frustration and amusement warred in Mara at his pitiless teasing. _Sexy, ruthless bastard,_ she thought as she took a deep breath and shook her head at his irrepressible, mocking smile. She took his hand and joined him as he headed towards a waiting shuttle. “This had better be good,” she threatened, unable to quash the strain of lust in her voice. Reyes smiled lazily at her as he twined his fingers into hers. “You’ll like it. I promise.”

They climbed into a tiny shuttle - large enough only for two people and some cargo, so small it would best be called a flitter - and Reyes gracefully lifted them out of the port and zipped into the badlands. “So Scott called me yesterday,” he said, distracting Mara from a delirious fantasy of fucking Reyes in the driver’s seat of the flitter. She glanced sharply at him, but he was smirking. “My ears are still ringing from his ranting. I can’t tell if he’s more mad that I’m a crime lord, or that he wasn’t in on the secret.” He gave a small chuckle. “Now he’s the one with FOMO.” 

Mara gazed anxiously at him. “He was pretty upset when I told him. But I didn’t know he’d called you. Was he really that mad?” 

Reyes shrugged, his eyes on the horizon as he piloted the flitter. “Sure, but he seemed more mad that I lied to you.” A flash of guilt darkened his face for a moment, and Mara reached over and squeezed his thigh in a silent reassurance that she still forgave him. Reyes continued a bit reluctantly. “He said he’d never forgive me if my… business… ever came back to hurt you. But I assured him that only a handful of people know who I am.” He glanced at her, the guilty look on his face deepening. “I _might_ have implied that there would be consequences for anyone who revealed me…” 

Mara gaped at him. “Are you saying you threatened my baby brother?”

Reyes scoffed. “No, I didn’t threaten him! What kind of thug do you think I am? No, all I said was that the only people who know my secret would never dare expose me. And I used my special voice when I said it.” He smiled winningly at her.

Mara groaned, torn between amusement and horror. She buried her face in her hands. “Great. I’m gonna hear soooo much about this when I’m back on the Tempest.”

“Then don’t go back,” Reyes replied immediately. Mara looked up at him sharply. His eyes were on the horizon, but his profile was dead serious. She frowned slightly at him, unsure how to respond, unsure whether he even meant it. He sighed and looked over at her, his face apologetic. “I didn’t mean that,” he said sincerely. “Really, I didn’t. But… I was thinking…” He hesitated, and Mara suddenly felt nervous. “Remember that night when I first came on the Tempest?”

Mara knew exactly what he meant - _the conversation about what he would do if he gave up Kadara_ \- and her heart suddenly started galloping in her chest. Reyes spoke again, his eyes on the horizon. “I was thinking about what we talked about… And how much I hate waiting for you to come back from your missions. Not knowing how your mission went until after it’s over. It’s… fucking _hard_ to wait. I hate the separation.”

Mara stared at him, breathless. _Is he saying what I think he’s saying…?_ Reyes glanced briefly at her again, and his face was anxious, vulnerable. “I love being the Charlatan. But… I love you more.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I want to join you on the Tempest. If you’ll let me.” 

He gaze was fixed on the horizon, his face tense, and Mara suddenly noticed that his hand on the flight controls was shaking slightly. _He’s scared I’ll say no,_ she thought, and a rush of love washed over her at his vulnerability. Mara dearly wanted to say yes. Ever since their conversation on the Tempest, she’d fantasized about having him always by her side, accompanying her on missions, fighting alongside her. Especially after the ground fight on Meridian, when she and Reyes had worked together so perfectly, she’d known that he would be a strong, competent addition to the Tempest team. And now that her crew - including Cora! - had accepted him, there weren’t even any concerns about personality clashes. 

But Mara couldn’t say yes… not right now. Her heart broke at the thought of saying no, but she had solid reasons. Mara’s Pathfinder logic had concluded that Reyes’ presence on Kadara, both for the supply lines and for protecting the outpost, were too important for him to leave the planet at this time. And Keema’s concern - rightly so - was still primarily her own people, so it wasn’t fair to ask her to take over Reyes’ responsibilities full-time. Furthermore, Reyes had told her that there were still active Outcast cells, and that the remaining Outcasts blamed the Initiative for Sloane’s death. The Collective were still fighting hard to take down those cells, and Reyes was needed on the ground to direct their operations. 

But Mara’s final reason was personal: she didn’t want Reyes to have any regrets. She knew that he had worked hard and done horrific things to become the (albeit incognito) ruler of Kadara, and she knew how much he enjoyed his many roles and responsibilities, both as the Charlatan and as a smuggler. Mara didn’t want him to give that all up just because of a highly unusual near-death situation. After all, now that the kett threat was neutralized (for the time being), her missions would be considerably more mundane… and Mara didn’t want Reyes to regret giving up the subterfuge and skill of being the Charlatan in order to run colony errands with her on the Tempest. 

She looked at Reyes, his hands shaking as he set the flitter down in a small clearing on the side of a mountain - the mountain that Mara recognized as Reyes’ favourite spot on Kadara, the one that was close to the ancient angaran ruins. As soon as the flitter was settled, she grabbed his hand and put her hand on his cheek, resting her forehead against his, trying to pour reassurance and love into her touch as she said the words she knew he didn’t want to hear. “Reyes, you can’t. Not yet.” 

He pulled back from her, his face bruised with hurt, but she wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding herself onto his lap with difficulty in the tiny flitter. She knew he would retreat into himself at the thought of rejection, so she physically forbade him from retreating with her touch. She took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. His bronze eyes were downcast, his lips pursed in a tight line of pain. “Reyes, look at me. _Look at me._ ” He reluctantly raised his eyes to hers, and her chest ached at the hurt she saw there. “Reyes, I love you... I love you so much. But I can’t let you give up everything you worked so hard for. Not just yet.” 

He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. “You love being the Charlatan. And you’re so good at what you do. Now that things are more settled in Heleus, your skills would be wasted on the Tempest. I’ll only be running errands. The fights I’ll get into will be small-time squabbles. I love you too much to let you waste your time and talents on stuff like that.” 

“Mara, I fucking _hate_ it when you’re gone,” he hissed angrily. He reached up to cradle her neck firmly in his hands, his eyes burning with frustration. “I just… want to be with you. And fuck all the rest of it. Let me join you.”

Mara felt incredibly cruel as she shook her head, swallowing down a lump of sorrow at hurting him like this. She knew how hard it was for him to put his heart on the line and ask a second time to join her. She knew how cold and uncaring his parents had been, how isolated he had been his whole life… and then he had found her, and now she was turning him away, even though it was just for a while. 

Reyes let go of her neck and dropped his head back against the headrest. He stared at her in disbelief and a little anger. “Are you serious?” 

She didn’t break her gaze from his, her jade eyes intense. She ran her fingers lovingly through his hair as she spoke. “Reyes, listen to me. I’m with you for the long haul, okay? I am crazy about you. This is not me saying no. This is me saying… not right now. Not yet.” He stared at her, the anger on his face dissolving to leave a longing sadness in its place that was more heartbreaking than the anger... but which relieved Mara, because sadness could be reasoned with more easily than anger. “I want you on the Tempest. Believe me, Reyes, I want you there with me too. More than anything.” He opened his mouth, his eyes desperate with confusion, but she cut him off. “But I don’t think it’s the best thing for _you_ , not right now. And I hate to pull Pathfinder rank on you, but it’s not the best thing for the Initiative or for Kadara either. This planet and this outpost need you here.” 

“Ughhhhh,” Reyes groaned, and rolled his eyes. “Why do you have to talk responsibilities? You’re killing my boner.” 

Mara laughed shakily, her chest loosening with relief. _If he’s making jokes, we’re okay._ “You don’t have a boner, you liar,” she remarked, and wiggled a little bit on his lap. “At least, not yet.” To her delight, she felt immediate stirrings in his crotch, and he smiled at her, his forehead still creased with sadness, but his smile warm. “I’m easy to persuade,” he quipped, slowly thrusting his hips towards her groin. Then he sighed and looked at her seriously again. “Will you at least think about it?” he asked, a plaintive note in his voice.

Mara hugged him tightly around the neck and rested her cheek against his, relieved when he wrapped his arms around her waist in return. “Believe me, I think about it every day. I want you on the Tempest too, I do. But I really don’t think it’s the right time.” She pulled back and looked him in the eyes again. “ _You_ think about it too, okay? We have time now. There’s no urgency to decide what we’ll do next. I want you to really think about what you’d be giving up.” A sudden idea occurred to her. “Maybe you can join me on some of my shorter missions, if we’ll only be away for two or three days? You can get a sense of the everyday activities on the Tempest.” 

He smiled at her, and the sheer happiness on his beautiful face made her want to cry all over again. “Now that sounds like a plan, Pathfinder. I knew you had some good ideas in that pretty head somewhere.” 

Mara coughed out a laugh. “Oh ho, falling back on insults, are we? That shit will _not_ fly on my ship, I can tell you that.”

Reyes took her chin firmly in his fingers, pulling her to look at him in a dominant gesture that made her catch her breath. “Then it’s a damn good thing we aren’t on your ship right now,” he murmured, his voice deepening to the growl that always drove her to distraction. “And I can think of some other good reasons we’re not on your ship.” He nodded to the door of the flitter and gave her a little slap on the butt. “Come on, Ryder. Let me show you your surprise.” 

******************

A 5-minute climb with jumpjets brought Reyes and Mara over the crest of the mountain… and Mara gaped at a two-story house with huge panoramic windows facing west on the second floor. “Reyes…” Mara breathed, unable to believe her eyes. The house wasn’t huge, but it was made of quality materials - no prefab here. _And those panoramic windows!_ “When did you have time to do this?” she asked in wonder.

He shrugged modestly. “I didn’t build anything. But you can achieve a lot when you have the credits… including some credits stolen from a certain deceased tyrant.” He raised his eyebrows at her unapologetically, and Mara’s jaw dropped. 

“You stole from Sloane?” she gasped. “To build this place?”

Reyes nodded, his uncompromising eyes on her face. “But believe me, it’s the only truly selfish thing I’ve done since I arrived in Heleus.” He raised his hands in supplication. “And I won’t do anything so unscrupulous again… at least, not for my personal benefit only. If it makes you feel better, I donated the rest of her fortune to Ryota’s free clinic.” He tucked his hands in his pockets, his face serious and unflinching. “I promised you I wouldn’t lie about anything big. I figured that a house counts as kind of a big thing.” 

Mara rubbed her mouth with her hand as she gazed at the house. Then she looked at Reyes, her eyes resigned. “Well, I guess there’s no point getting mad at what’s done. And... I appreciate the honesty.” Her eyes drifted back to the house, and she couldn’t stop the grin from lighting her face. “It is a _really_ fucking nice house,” she admitted grudgingly, admiring the clean lines of the architecture.

Reyes slowly stepped up behind her, his chest brushing her back. “You like it?” he murmured in her ear, causing a shiver to run down her back. “I… thought of you when I was designing it. It has an armory room… A big living room for your crew to visit…” His voice dropped intimately. “I especially thought of you when I commissioned those windows in the bedroom.” His hand snaked around her waist, over her belly, and ever-so-slowly over her groin to lightly stroke her inner thigh. 

Mara dropped her head back against his chest and inhaled sharply at the butterfly-light touch of his fingers on her thigh, so close to the juncture of her thighs. “I really like it,” she said shakily as his thumb stroked her thigh in a circular motion, then grazed her labia through her pants. “Fuck,” she breathed as a wave of desire made her dizzy.

“You like the house, or you like… this?” he purred, and his fingers slid more firmly over her crotch, making her gasp and arch her back as her nipples hardened inside her bra. “Both,” Mara gasped, reaching one arm behind her to wrap around his neck. She grabbed his lightly stroking hand with her other hand, intending to make him touch her more firmly, but he tensed his biceps, refusing to let her move his hand. 

“Let me give you the tour,” he whispered, then moved his hand up to her jaw, tilting her head up and back to give her an open-mouthed kiss, his hot tongue tracing her lips before darting into her mouth to flick slowly around her tongue in blatant imitation of licking her clit. He swallowed Mara’s moan of pleasure, then broke the kiss and stepped away from her suddenly, taking her hand and firmly pulling her towards the house. 

Reyes unlocked the door (a combination of physical and digital locks) and pulled her inside - not towards the stairs and bedroom as she’d expected, but through the living room to a small office containing two sturdy-looking black desks, each facing opposite walls. Mara noted vaguely that the walls were lined with modern but simple shelving, with a decent-sized window facing east, and, unusually, a heavy duty-looking carabiner eyehook in the ceiling over one of the desks. But before Mara could ask any questions, Reyes gently pushed her over to the desk beneath the eyehook and lifted her up, then placed her on the desk. He positioned himself between her legs, then wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her passionately, driving any questions out of her head. Mara kissed him back, her tongue tangling fiercely with his. Without breaking the kiss, she shucked off her jacket and tugged frantically at his belt. He pulled away from her long enough to fling off his jacket and tug his shirt over his head, and watched appreciatively as she peeled her tank top off in one smooth movement, then took off her bra. But as Mara reached for his belt again, he captured her hands. 

“Wait,” he said, and his voice was a soft command. Mara’s eyes flew to his: his bronze eyes were dark with lust, and dancing with mischief. “You’re planning something… again?” she panted, spreading her legs wider in an attempt to tempt him close. His eyes dropped to the welcoming sight of her spread thighs, then returned to her face. “The Charlatan always has a plan,” he growled, and Mara gasped in excitement at his words… and the implication of something _different_ in his voice. Without looking away from her face, he reached into one of the drawers of the desk and pulled out a long, silky-looking black cord with buckled cuffs at each end… cuffs that were the perfect diameter for wrapping around someone’s wrists.

Mara’s eyes flew up to the hook in the ceiling, and with a surge of bone-melting excitement, she suddenly understood his plan. He was gazing at her face, her wrists still held in his grip, gauging her reaction. Encouraged by the eagerness in her expression, he bluntly stated his intention. “Mara, I want to tie your hands to that hook and tease you until you beg me to fuck you. Do you want that?” 

“Yes,” Mara blurted, the image painted by his words making her desperate with want. But Reyes wasn’t finished. “There’s another hook in the bedroom ceiling,” he continued, his voice intense and taut with lust. “And the bed has four posters. Does this interest you?”

“Yes, yes, fuck yes,” she cried, twisting her wrists, trying to free them from his grip, desperate to touch him, to get some relief from the sexual need screaming through her body. But Reyes gave her wrists a quick tug, just hard enough to get her attention. When he spoke again, his voice was still gravelly with lust, but hard and intense… the voice of the Charlatan. “If you want this, you will stop fighting me. You will do what I tell you. And you won’t argue. If you refuse to listen to me, this is what I’ll do.” Still holding her wrists in one hand, he leaned forward and tilted her head to the side with his other hand, exposing her neck… and bit her neck, a tiny bite with just enough pain to make her gasp.

He pulled back to look her in the eye, his face serious and controlled, his lust apparent only in the heat of his eyes and the raging hard-on tenting his pants. “Now you pick a safeword if you want me to stop.” 

“Aardvark,” Mara said quickly, panting with need. Reyes’ Charlatan mask slipped for a second as he smiled at her absurd word choice. “That’s ridiculous. I like it,” he growled, as he mastered himself and slid smoothly back into his commanding role. “Now, I’m letting go of your wrists. Hold them out to me.” 

Finally, _finally,_ he relinquished his grip on her wrists, and she eagerly thrust them at him. His face remained impassive as he took each wrist and buckled the cuffs around them. But Mara could see the rapid beat of his pulse at his neck, and his obvious excitement - and attempt to master it for this role - further heightened her desire. 

Reyes then stood on a nearby desk chair and stepped onto the desk to loop the black cord through the eyehook, pulling her arms up above her head in the process. His standing position placed his groin close to her face, and she couldn’t help herself - she brushed her lips against the heavy bulge in his pants. He jerked involuntarily, then lightly jumped down from the desk and gripped her chin in his hand, tilting her face up to look at him. 

“Did I say you could touch my cock?” he demanded, his breath coming short and sharp. Mara shook her head, biting her lip to try and quiet her breathing. “That’s right, I didn’t,” Reyes said gruffly, then pulled her chin to the side and bit her neck, making her moan at the combination of pain and pleasure. _I can’t decide if I want him to punish me or not when the punishment is so goddamn good,_ she thought deliriously. If this was how the Charlatan came out to play, she definitely wanted to see him more often.

************

Reyes released Mara’s chin and stepped back to admire his handiwork. Mara was seated on the desk, her wrists neatly bound, arms stretched above her head but her elbows loose enough to be comfortable. Her small, perfectly rounded breasts were raised and presented perfectly for his attentions, her dusky nipples already pearled with arousal. She still wore her boots and pants, but her back was arched and her thighs spread, and Reyes licked his lips in anticipation at the thought of what he’d find when he peeled off her pants. _Speaking of which…_

Reyes folded his arms and issued his first command. “Stand up.” Immediately, Mara slid off the desk and stared at him, her eyes on his face, her cheeks pink and her eyes glazed with lust. “Kick off your boots.” She did as he asked, her breasts lifting with each panting breath. Reyes slowly stepped close, his eyes on her face, then popped the button of her pants and tugged them off in one smooth movement. 

He stepped back again, his cock pulsing with blood as he admired Mara’s perfectly curved naked body. _Jesus Fucking Christ, she's exquisite._ Part of him couldn't believe his wildest fantasies were being fulfilled. Ever since the time she'd shoved him down on his couch and grabbed his throat before fucking him, he'd dreamed about dominating her in return. The thought that Mara Ryder, the Pathfinder, tough and competent, might trust him enough to let him command her… that thought had obsessed him, occupying his nightly fantasies, especially when she was away. It had been years since Reyes had had an appropriate (or sufficiently interesting) partner for this kind of sexual play, but he had known that Mara would meet him halfway - hell, she was his equal in every other sense. _And I plan to enjoy this…_

He raised his eyes to her face. “I promised you I'd examine you for new scars. Turn around,” he ordered. Her eyes widened slightly, but she obeyed him, turning so her back faced him. He approached her slowly and stood close to her, close enough for his chest to brush her back… close enough to tease. “Don't move,” he said shortly. He encircled her neck gently with one hand, tracing the line of the hexagonal-patterned tattoo that surrounded her neck, and gently tilted her head to the side. “No new scars here,” he whispered into her ear… and as he knew she would, she shuddered and pressed her ass back towards his groin. Abruptly, he bit her neck, and she keened, arching her back further. “I told you not to move,” he growled, grabbing her hips firmly to hold her still and biting her shoulder. She whimpered, but complied with his demand. 

Reyes smoothed one hand from her neck down along the line of her spine. “All clear along your back. I'll check your sides.” Firmly so as not to tickle, he placed his hands on her ribs and slid his hands towards the front of her body… then lightly stroked her nipples his index fingers. “Oh god!” Mara burst out, her voice almost a sob of pleasure, but to his surprise and satisfaction, she didn't move. He pinched her nipples firmly, making her cry out incoherently, then slid his hands back to her ribs and down her sides. Teasingly, he whispered in her ear again. “No scars on your sides. But I'll have to look at your breasts in more detail.” 

“Yes, please Reyes!” she moaned. And yet, she still didn't move. His satisfaction - and arousal - pitched ever higher at her impressive self-control. _I'll have to push her harder then,_ he thought to himself. He dropped to his knees behind her and heard her gasp of surprise. He permitted himself a moment of pure male indulgence by cupping her ass and squeezing both cheeks, then smoothed his hands gently over the skin of her buttocks. “No scars here,” he reported as he slid his hands over her hips and then curved his hands in a loose grip over the backs of her thighs where her legs met her buttocks. “Spread your legs,” he commanded. He heard Mara’s breath hitch as she did what she was told. He looked at Mara’s inner thighs and was immensely gratified to see the film of moisture slick on her feminine lips and spreading to her thighs. _Now let's see how much self-control she has,_ he thought with dark amusement. He tilted his head to the side and licked the moisture from her inner thighs, but never quite touched his tongue to her pussy. As he’d predicted, this was too much for Mara. She bucked, arching her back as she threw her head back and cried out. “Reyes! Please, Reyes, I need you to lick me…” 

He stopped licking and bit her buttock. “I told you not to move,” he said in his hardest voice - which he noted, with interest, made Mara arch her back further. Reyes stood and then ordered, “Turn around and face me.” Mara complied, and as soon as she was facing him he grabbed her throat just under her chin, eliciting a gasp of shock and excitement, and bit her neck just below the level of her Adam’s apple. Still holding her throat loosely, he growled into her ear. “I told you to follow my commands. You don't tell me what to do. Is that clear?” 

Mara panted with need, but she nodded her head enthusiastically. Reyes nodded his head once and released her throat. “Now, I have to continue searching for scars. Yes?” 

Mara nodded again. “Yes please,” she gasped, and Reyes smiled at the desperation in her voice. He traced his finger along her collarbone and down her sternum, then splayed his fingers along her ribs just beneath her breasts. “Look at me,” he said, and her fevered jade gaze flew to his. He gently traced the underside of her left breast with his thumb, making her whimper; then, abruptly, he lowered his head and took her left nipple in his mouth, sucking firmly. 

Mara jerked, and from the corner of his eye, he saw her biceps flex as she pulled at her bindings. He almost laughed in satisfaction, but he didn't want to release the pearly firmness of her nipple. With his left hand, he teased her right nipple with unbearable gentleness, flicking lightly at the hard nub and then circling it teasingly, then stroking the smooth skin of her breast. Then he turned the attentions of his skilful lips and tongue to her right nipple. 

By this time, Mara was gasping and moaning incoherently, her arms pulling fruitlessly at her bindings, her thighs trembling with the effort of staying upright under this onslaught of sensation. Reyes straightened and lifted her quickly, depositing her on the desk again. He sat down in the desk chair and lounged back, his legs spread in insolent male pride, feigning casualness despite the fact that his body was screaming to touch her. 

Reyes allowed his gaze to slide slowly over every inch of his woman. Her plump breasts glistened slightly from his tongue. Her taut belly was heaving as she panted for breath. And between her thighs… “Open your legs,” he ordered, waving one hand in a casual gesture. Mara obeyed, spreading her thighs wide so Reyes could admire the sight of her pussy, her lips spread wide and welcoming him with their glistening moisture. “Now tell me what you want,” he said flatly. 

“I want your mouth on me. I want you to lick me. Please,” she panted immediately, and he almost smiled at her unabashed sexuality. He nodded his head once. “I'll do this. But you will be quiet and not say a word while I do. Understood?” 

Mara gaped at him. “Be quiet while you go down on me? Are you insane?” 

Reyes couldn't help himself - she sounded so indignant, almost angry, that he actually laughed. He quickly mastered himself, but was unable to fully get rid of his grin before restating his terms. “You _will_ be quiet. Or I won't go down. Understood?” 

Mara gave a moan of combined frustration and desire, then grudgingly nodded. Satisfied, Reyes pulled his chair forward and without hesitation, he lapped at her wetness. 

Mara’s back arched and her biceps tensed, but she didn't make a sound. Reyes swirled his tongue gently and then more firmly between her folds, then, finally, he lapped slowly at her clit. He felt her thighs tense, and he continued the gentle-then-firm movements of his tongue, knowing from the spasms of her thighs that she was going to come…

When Mara climaxed, she couldn't stop herself from screaming out in pleasure. Reyes abruptly stood, plunging a finger into the centre of her heat and eliciting another cry, and bit her neck _hard_ where the tendon met her shoulder. She inhaled sharply at the pain, then gasped out an unequivocal “Yes!”

Reyes covered Mara’s mouth loosely with one hand and bit her bare shoulder in punishment. He released her mouth and looked her in the eye, his face cold and neutral, a stark contrast with the heat roaring through his veins. “I told you not. To say. A word.” With his other hand, he gently spread her wetness over her folds and plunged two fingers inside of her, relishing her tight heat. She gasped, throwing her head back in ecstasy, but bit her lips to stop herself from crying out. 

Reyes withdrew his fingers from her sleek heat. “Look at me,” he demanded. Mara’s eyes instantly snapped to his face. He held up his fingers. “I'm going to lick your sweetness off my fingers. And then I'm going to fuck you senseless. Yes?” 

She opened her mouth to reply, and Reyes raised his eyebrows. Mara snapped her mouth shut and nodded emphatically. Reyes smiled viciously, then sucked his fingers clean and whipped off his belt. Slowly, he unbuttoned his pants and dropped them, savouring the tiny mewls of arousal that Mara was unconsciously producing with every exhale. He preened internally as her eyes hungrily roved over his lean but ripped body: she drank in his hard pecs, his taut abdomen, and then her eyes caught on his cock, hard and jutting up from its nest of dark hair. 

Reyes didn't waste any more words. He stepped forward with one hand holding his cock, gently parted her folds with his other hand, and swiftly thrust himself inside her. She gasped and slammed her hands downwards, but her cuffs and the eyehook held strong: she couldn't move her hands, could only take what Reyes gave her. He grabbed her hips and withdrew slowly, holding himself at her entrance until she squirmed and wailed his name, then plunged himself into her again as he gently bit the flesh above her breast in punishment for speaking his name. She shuddered and arched her back, begging him with her body to touch her nipples. Reyes withdrew again and lowered his mouth to her breast, teasing with gentle flicks of his tongue, then slammed his length into her again as he sucked deeply on her nipple. 

Ripples of pleasure began to build deep in Reyes’ core, and he dragged her hips toward him in a driving rhythm of thrusts. As Mara’s breath started to come short and sharp, he slid one hand between their bodies to lightly run the pad of his thumb over her clit. Almost immediately, she came for the second time, her arms straining so hard against the cuffs that her hands went white, and Reyes captured her lips in a kiss, smothering her cry with his tongue. 

As soon as he felt her body relax, he withdrew his cock, pumping it with his fist. He gently tilted her chin up with his fingers, and gave her one last command in a gentle voice. “I'm going to release your hands now. You're going to drop to your knees and suck me dry. Yes?” 

Mara grinned at him, her jade eyes sparkling. “Fuck yes,” she replied, and Reyes grinned back. He kissed her as he reached up and unpeeled the cuff from one hand. As soon as her hand was free, she grabbed his hair and pulled his head back. He laughed in surprise. “Woah, Ryder! I didn’t say you could grab me,” he growled playfully. 

Mara grinned viciously at him. “Oh, mister, you’re going to pay later for all this torture. We’ll see about this hook in the bedroom.” And with that tantalizing promise, she ripped the other cuff off her wrist and slid to the floor, grabbed his cock and slid it between her lips. 

Reyes gasped and grabbed the edge of the desk for support. Mara somehow managed to chuckle around his shaft in her mouth, and the vibration made a wave of pleasure rush through his body. Mara pumped his length a few times with her lips, then slid his full length deep into her throat… and _swallowed_ , once, then a second time. 

The unusual pressure from her contracting throat muscles, combined with the heat and warmth of her mouth and the sexy visual of Mara on her knees, was too much for Reyes. When she swallowed a third time, his release came and a guttural cry was torn from his throat. 

Mara continued to suck his length as his body spasmed in climax. As the final waves of climax subsided, Reyes gently pulled his cock from her mouth and sat on the desk chair, exhausted. Mara sat back on her heels, a satisfied look on her face, and primly wiped the edge of her lower lip with one finger. She looked so _proper_ and yet so nasty that Reyes suddenly started laughing. He slid down heavily to sit on the floor next to her, his eyes closed and his chest still heaving. When he finally opened his eyes to look at her, she was grinning at him. 

“That. Was. Awesome,” she said emphatically, and he smiled lazily and slung an arm around her waist to pull her close. She snuggled into him and kissed his neck. Then she snickered. “So much for examining me for scars. I'm pretty sure _you’ve_ just given me some new marks.” 

Reyes opened his eyes and looked at her neck, then groaned. There were livid red teethmarks on her neck, shoulders, and above her breast… and the spot where he'd bitten the tendon in her neck was already starting to bruise. He gently took her wrists and inspected them; they were reddened from the cuffs. He kissed her wrist tenderly. “Your crew’s going to think I beat you up,” he said ruefully, closing his eyes and lounging back against the desk. Then he winced. “Your brother’s gonna try to kill me.” 

Mara laughed and tugged his earlobe affectionately. “I'm armoured 90% of the time. The worst I'm in for is some ribbing from Peebs. And as for Scott… that's what scarves are for.” She kissed his cheek, then brightly asked, “Where’s the kitchen? Are there any snacks?” 

Reyes choked out an incredulous laugh. “Woman, I'm a boneless puddle on the floor and you’re asking about food?” 

Mara threw him a look of disbelief. “We need to regain our strength! I saw that stripper pole in the living room. I’m gonna need some energy for that.” Reyes raised his eyebrow roguishly at her, and she laughed, her eyes sparkling with sexy mischief. _I hope she’ll like the pole in the bedroom as well,_ he thought with a smirk. Mara hopped to her feet and grabbed her panties and bra, jauntily pulling them on before turning to smile cockily down at him. “If you install a fucking sex playground in our house on a Kadaran mountaintop, you’ll have to build up your stamina. You coming?”

He smiled up at her, his heart swelling with emotion. _I wonder if she knows she just said ‘our’ house,_ he thought to himself happily. He was comforted to think that whether he joined her on the Tempest sooner or later, he and his Pathfinder would always have their own corner of the galaxy here on Kadara. 

With that cheerful thought, he pushed himself to his feet, pulled on his pants, and took Mara’s outstretched hand. _The Charlatan and the Pathfinder, living in a sex playground on a mountain on Kadara. That’s my kind of fucking love story,_ he thought blissfully, and led Mara to the kitchen to share a celebratory shot of whiskey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone catch a reference to the movie/play "Closer" in there? :)
> 
> To everyone who stuck with Mara and Reyes this whole way through... THANK YOU for reading! This was my first foray into fanfic and I'm stuck in this wonderful world now. More to come on these two...


End file.
